dbcve.org
Secure Email And Web ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20119

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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-based management interface of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, formerly known as Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface. This vulnerability is due to insufficient user input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of an affected interface to click a crafted link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the affected interface or access sensitive, browser-based information.

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

Reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco AsyncOS web-based management interface for Secure Email and Web Manager. Unauthenticated attacker crafts malicious links that, when clicked by authenticated users, execute arbitrary JavaScript in the browser context due to insufficient input validation.

MitigationApply Cisco security updates for AsyncOS software; users should be trained to avoid clicking untrusted links as a defense-in-depth measure.

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 Email And Web ManagerApplication
Affected:= 14.0.0-418= 14.0.1-033= 14.0.1-053= 15.0.0-050= 15.0.0-256
Secure Email GatewayApplication
Affected:= 14.0.0-418= 14.0.1-033= 14.0.1-053= 15.0.0-050= 15.0.0-256
Web Security ApplianceApplication
Affected:= 14.0.0-418= 14.0.1-033= 14.0.1-053= 15.0.0-050= 15.0.0-256

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the installed Cisco AsyncOS product
    Log into the appliance CLI and run the 'version' command, or check the web UI login page banner which displays the product name (Secure Email And Web Manager, Secure Email Gateway, or Web Security Appliance)
    Affected if The product is one of these three: Cisco Secure Email And Web Manager, Cisco Secure Email Gateway, or Cisco Web Security Appliance
  2. Determine the AsyncOS version build number
    In the CLI, run 'version' or 'show version' to display the full build string (for example: 14.0.0-418 or 15.0.0-256)
    Affected if The build number matches exactly: 14.0.0-418, 14.0.1-033, 14.0.1-053, 15.0.0-050, or 15.0.0-256
  3. Verify if the web-based management interface is enabled
    In the CLI, run 'show interface' or check the network configuration to confirm the Management interface has an HTTP or HTTPS service bound, or access the web UI login page on port 443/80
    Affected if The web-based management interface is accessible (HTTP or HTTPS service is running on the Management interface)

The environment is affected if the installed product is Secure Email And Web Manager, Secure Email Gateway, or Web Security Appliance, the AsyncOS build matches one of the five affected versions (14.0.0-418, 14.0.1-033, 14.0.1-053, 15.0.0-050, or 15.0.0-256), and the web-based management interface is enabled.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Cisco security updates for AsyncOS software; users should be trained to avoid clicking untrusted links as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Secure Email And Web Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2023-20119 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