dbcve.org
Cx Cloud AgentApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20043

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.9 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A vulnerability in Cisco CX Cloud Agent of could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate their privileges. This vulnerability is due to insecure file permissions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by calling the script with sudo. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to take complete control of the affected device.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco CX Cloud Agent caused by insecure file permissions. An authenticated local attacker can modify or replace a script that executes with sudo privileges, allowing them to gain root-level control of the device.

MitigationIdentify the script with insecure permissions referenced in the vulnerability and correct its file permissions (remove world/group write access, ensure proper ownership). Restrict sudo permissions to specific, vetted users if not already done.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Cx Cloud AgentApplication
Affected:< 1.9= 2.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine if Cisco CX Cloud Agent is installed
    Look for the CX Cloud Agent process or software on the system. Common installation locations include /opt/cisco/cx-agent or check running processes for cx-agent or similar naming.
    Affected if The software is present on the system.
  2. Check the installed version of Cisco CX Cloud Agent
    Run the appropriate command to query the installed version, such as 'cx-agent --version' or check version information in the installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 1.9, or the installed version equals 2.2.
  3. Identify scripts that execute with sudo privileges
    Review sudoers configuration files (/etc/sudoers, /etc/sudoers.d/*) and look for entries that grant sudo execution to scripts or binaries related to the CX Cloud Agent.
    Affected if Sudo entries exist for CX Cloud Agent scripts or binaries.
  4. Inspect file permissions on the CX Cloud Agent scripts
    For each script identified as executing with sudo, run 'ls -la <script_path>' to examine permissions. Check for world-writable or group-writable flags.
    Affected if Any script that executes with sudo privileges has world-writable or group-writable permissions set.

A user is affected if Cisco CX Cloud Agent is installed with a version less than 1.9 or exactly version 2.2, AND a script that executes with sudo privileges has insecure (world-writable or group-writable) file permissions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.9 or later
Fixed in 1.9
Interim mitigation

Identify the script with insecure permissions referenced in the vulnerability and correct its file permissions (remove world/group write access, ensure proper ownership). Restrict sudo permissions to specific, vetted users if not already done.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Cx Cloud Agent version 1.9 or later, or version 2.3 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of Cisco CX Cloud Agent installed on the system
  2. 2. Download the fixed version of Cisco CX Cloud Agent (version 1.9 or later, or version 2.3 or later) from the Cisco software download page
  3. 3. Create a backup of all current Cx Cloud Agent configuration files
  4. 4. Uninstall the current version of Cx Cloud Agent following the vendor's documented removal procedure
  5. 5. Install the fixed version of Cx Cloud Agent downloaded in step 2
  6. 6. Restore the configuration files from the backup created in step 3
  7. 7. Restart the Cx Cloud Agent service to ensure the new version is running
  8. 8. Verify the installation was successful by checking the agent version and confirming it is 1.9+ or 2.3+

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Cx Cloud Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-20043 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data