Secure Firewall Management CenterApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20074
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 · uneditedMultiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface of an affected device. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by inserting crafted input into various data fields in an affected interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the interface, or access sensitive, browser-based information. In some cases, it is also possible to cause a temporary availability impact to portions of the FMC Dashboard.
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 confidenceMultiple stored XSS vulnerabilities in Cisco FMC web-based management interface allow unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into various data fields. Due to insufficient input validation, successful exploitation enables arbitrary script execution in user contexts, browser-based information access, and potential temporary dashboard availability impacts.
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
>= 6.2.3, <= 6.2.3.18>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.0.16>= 6.6.0, <= 6.6.7.1>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.5>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.0.3>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.3.1>= 7.3.0, <= 7.3.1.1CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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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Confirm Cisco FMC installation and versionAccess the FMC web interface login page or use CLI command 'show version' on the FMC device to retrieve the software version numberAffected 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
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Verify web management interface accessibilityDetermine if the FMC web-based management interface (HTTPS on port 443 or configured port) is reachable from network locations that are not fully trustedAffected if The FMC web interface is exposed to untrusted or external networks without proper network-based access controls
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Inspect browser-accessible input fieldsLog into the FMC web interface and navigate to commonly used configuration areas such as dashboard widgets, object definitions, policy names, or user-defined descriptions where data is saved and displayed back to usersAffected if User-supplied input in any field is reflected in the interface without proper sanitization, indicating potential XSS vulnerability presence
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Review admin activity logs for script injection patternsExamine FMC logs, specifically audit logs and event logs, for any unexpected or suspicious entries containing HTML tags, JavaScript code, or unusual character patterns in data fieldsAffected if Logs contain entries with script tags, javascript: URIs, or other XSS payload patterns that indicate attempted or successful exploitation
The environment is affected if Cisco FMC software version is within any of the listed vulnerable ranges AND the web-based management interface is accessible to potential attackers.
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 · scopedApply Cisco-provided patches for FMC Software. Until patched, limit FMC web interface access to trusted networks and monitor for suspicious admin session activity.
Upgrade to the next available maintenance release in your current branch: 6.2.3.19+, 6.4.0.17+, 6.6.8+, or 7.0.6+ (depending on your current branch)
- Identify the currently installed Cisco Firepower Management Center version from the web interface (System > About > Version) or CLI (show version)
- Navigate to the Cisco Security Advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for CVE-2023-20074 to obtain the specific fixed version for your release branch
- Upgrade to the appropriate fixed version: For 6.2.x branch upgrade to 6.2.3.19 or later; For 6.4.x branch upgrade to 6.4.0.17 or later; For 6.6.x branch upgrade to 6.6.8 or later; For 7.0.x branch upgrade to 7.0.6 or later
- Before upgrading, review Cisco FMC upgrade guides and ensure proper backups of configuration data
- Perform the upgrade during a planned maintenance window as the FMC may be temporarily unavailable
- After upgrade, verify the new version is installed and test that the web interface functions normally
- Clear browser cache to ensure no cached vulnerable code remains
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
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20074 — 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-2023-20074 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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