CVE-2023-20045
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 the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV160 and RV260 Series VPN Routers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands using root-level privileges on the affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid Administrator-level credentials on 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 confidenceCommand injection vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco RV160/RV260 VPN routers. An authenticated attacker with Administrator credentials can send specially crafted requests that bypass insufficient input validation, allowing arbitrary OS command execution with root-level privileges.
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< 1.0.01.04< 1.0.01.04< 1.0.01.04< 1.0.01.04CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the router modelLocate the device physically or via CLI using 'show version' or 'show hardware' to confirm the exact model (RV160, RV160w, RV260, or RV260p).Affected if The model is one of RV160, RV160w, RV260, or RV260p.
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Check the installed firmware versionAccess the web management interface and navigate to the Administration > Firmware page, or use the CLI command 'show version' to view the current firmware version.Affected if The firmware version is lower than 1.0.01.04 (for example, 1.0.01.03, 1.0.00.25, etc.).
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Verify if the web-based management interface is enabledIn the web UI, go to Administration > Management > HTTP/HTTPS and confirm whether HTTP or HTTPS management access is enabled. In CLI, check 'show running-config | include http' or similar management configuration.Affected if HTTP or HTTPS web management is enabled and accessible.
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Confirm whether remote access to the management interface is permittedCheck the management access settings to determine if the web interface is reachable from WAN/outside networks (often labeled as 'Remote Management' or 'HTTPS Management' with WAN access options).Affected if Remote management access from WAN is permitted, allowing potential attackers to reach the interface.
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Review Administrator account configurationVerify that strong, unique passwords are configured for Administrator-level accounts in the web UI under Administration > User Management > Users, or via CLI 'show privilege' and user accounts.Affected if Administrator accounts exist with weak or default credentials, allowing authenticated exploitation.
You are affected if you have a Cisco RV160, RV160w, RV260, or RV260p router running firmware version lower than 1.0.01.04 with the web management interface enabled, especially if accessible remotely.
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 · scoped1.0.01.04
Apply Cisco's firmware patch when available; restrict web management interface access to trusted networks; use strong Administrator credentials; consider disabling remote management if not required.
Firmware version 1.0.01.04 for RV160/RV260 series
- 1. Download the firmware version 1.0.01.04 for your specific router model (RV160, RV160w, RV260, or RV260p) from the Cisco Software Download center
- 2. Log in to the web-based management interface of the affected Cisco RV series router as an Administrator
- 3. Navigate to the Administration > Firmware Upgrade (or similar firmware update section)
- 4. Upload the downloaded firmware file (1.0.01.04) to the router
- 5. Wait for the firmware upload and installation to complete - do not power off the device during this process
- 6. After reboot, verify the firmware version has been updated to 1.0.01.04 or later in the system status or administration settings
- 7. Verify that the web-based management interface is functioning normally
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20045 — 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-2023-20045 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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- 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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