Cx Cloud AgentApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20044
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 · uneditedA 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 persuading support to update settings which call the insecure script. 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 · moderate confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco CX Cloud Agent caused by insecure file permissions on a script. An authenticated attacker must socially engineer support staff to update settings that invoke the insecure script, allowing the attacker to gain full control of the device.
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
< 2.2.1CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Cisco CX Cloud Agent is installedCheck for the presence of Cisco CX Cloud Agent software on the system using system inventory or package management toolsAffected if Cisco CX Cloud Agent is found installed on the system
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Determine installed versionQuery the installed version of Cisco CX Cloud Agent and compare against 2.2.1Affected if Installed version is less than 2.2.1
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Locate scripts invoked by CX Cloud Agent settingsIdentify scripts or configuration files that CX Cloud Agent settings reference or execute, typically found in the agent installation directory or configuration pathsAffected if Scripts exist that are invoked by CX Cloud Agent settings and are readable/writable by low-privileged users
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Inspect file permissions on agent scriptsExamine file system permissions on scripts that CX Cloud Agent executes through its settings; check for world-writable or group-writable permissionsAffected if Any script invoked by CX Cloud Agent settings has overly permissive file permissions allowing modification by non-admin users
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Review CX Cloud Agent settings configurationInspect the configuration files or registry entries that define which scripts CX Cloud Agent executes, looking for settings that reference custom or user-accessible script pathsAffected if Settings point to scripts in locations writable by authenticated non-admin users
System is affected if Cisco CX Cloud Agent version is below 2.2.1 and contains scripts with insecure permissions that can be modified or replaced by an authenticated attacker through settings configuration.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped2.2.1
Review and correct file permissions on scripts called by Cisco CX Cloud Agent settings; verify support procedures prevent execution of insecure code; apply any available Cisco patches for CX Cloud Agent.
2.2.1 or later
- 1. Identify the current version of Cisco CX Cloud Agent installed on the system
- 2. Download Cisco CX Cloud Agent version 2.2.1 or later from the Cisco software downloads portal
- 3. Upgrade the Cisco CX Cloud Agent to version 2.2.1 or later following the standard installation procedure
- 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version
- 5. Confirm that file permissions on affected scripts and configuration files have been hardened
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Cx Cloud Agent
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20044 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-20044 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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