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Secure Firewall Management CenterApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20048

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.3.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 the web services interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute certain unauthorized configuration commands on a Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) device that is managed by the FMC Software. This vulnerability is due to insufficient authorization of configuration commands that are sent through the web service interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the FMC web services interface and sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute certain configuration commands on the targeted FTD device. To successfully exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need valid credentials on the FMC Software.

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 vulnerability in Cisco FMC's web services interface allows an authenticated attacker with valid credentials to send crafted HTTP requests that bypass authorization checks, enabling execution of unauthorized configuration commands on managed FTD devices. The root cause is insufficient authorization validation for configuration commands transmitted through the web interface.

MitigationRestrict access to the FMC web services interface to trusted users only, enforce strong credential policies, and apply Cisco's available patches. Monitor for unauthorized configuration changes on managed FTD devices.

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
Secure Firewall Management CenterApplication
Affected:>= 6.2.3, <= 6.2.3.18>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.0.16>= 6.6.0, <= 6.6.7.1>= 6.7.0, <= 6.7.0.3>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.5>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.0.3>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.3.1>= 7.3.0, <= 7.3.1.1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Identify Cisco FMC installation
    Access the FMC web interface and check the System > Troubleshooting > General page, or log into the FMC CLI and run 'show version' to confirm Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is installed.
    Affected if The system is running Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center.
  2. Determine FMC version
    In the FMC web UI, navigate to System > About to view the exact version number. From CLI, run 'show version | include Version' or 'sudo grep -i version /etc/neoespejo_version' if available.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 6.2.3 to 6.2.3.18, 6.4.0 to 6.4.0.16, 6.6.0 to 6.6.7.1, 7.0.0 to 7.0.5, 7.1.0 to 7.1.0.3, 7.2.0 to 7.2.3.1, or 7.3.0 to 7.3.1.1.
  3. Verify web services interface access
    Confirm the FMC web services interface is reachable by accessing the FMC URL over HTTPS. Check if external or untrusted users have network access to port 443 on the FMC management interface.
    Affected if The web interface is accessible from untrusted networks or the internet.
  4. Review FMC audit logs for unauthorized commands
    In the FMC web UI, navigate to System > Audit Log and examine entries for configuration commands on managed FTD devices. Look for commands initiated by users who should not have authorization for those actions.
    Affected if Audit logs show configuration commands executed by users without proper role-based access control permissions.
  5. Inspect managed FTD devices for unexpected changes
    Log into managed Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) devices via CLI or FMC and compare current running configuration against known-good baselines. Check for unauthorized access policies, NAT rules, or routing changes.
    Affected if FTD devices show configuration changes that were not initiated by authorized administrators through proper channels.

You are affected if Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is running a version within the listed ranges AND the web services interface is accessible, with potential indicators in audit logs or FTD configurations showing unauthorized command execution.

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 a release after 7.3.1.1
Interim mitigation

Restrict access to the FMC web services interface to trusted users only, enforce strong credential policies, and apply Cisco's available patches. Monitor for unauthorized configuration changes on managed FTD devices.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco FMC 6.2.3.19+, 6.4.0.17+, 6.6.7.2+, 6.7.0.4+ (or migrate to 6.8.x/7.0+ for longer support)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed FMC version using the web interface (System > Updates) or CLI (show version)
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version (6.2.3.x -> 6.4.0.x or later, 6.4.0.x -> 6.6.0.x or later, etc.)
  3. 3. Back up the FMC configuration via System > Updates > Backup/Restore
  4. 4. Download the corresponding FMC upgrade package from Cisco Software Downloads (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com)
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require brief downtime
  6. 6. Upload the upgrade package via FMC web interface: System > Updates > Product Updates
  7. 7. Install the update and allow the system to reboot
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade completed successfully and the version matches the fixed release
Caveat FMC upgrades may temporarily disrupt management of FTD devices; plan for brief downtime; some upgrade paths require intermediate versions

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

Fix this in Secure Firewall Management Center Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
27.0 hours of engineering $4,800
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-20048 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
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