Rv016 FirmwareOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2023-20124
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 RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325 Routers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user input within incoming HTTP packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web-based management interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root-level privileges and access unauthorized data. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to have valid administrative credentials on the affected device. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability.
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 confidenceThis is a command injection vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV series routers. The issue stems from improper validation of user input within HTTP packets, allowing an authenticated attacker with administrative credentials to send crafted HTTP requests that execute arbitrary commands with root-level privileges on the affected 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
Rv016 FirmwareOperating system
all versions
Rv042 FirmwareOperating system
all versions
Rv042g FirmwareOperating system
all versions
Rv082 FirmwareOperating system
all versions
Rv320 FirmwareOperating system
all versions
Rv325 FirmwareOperating system
all versionsCVSS 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 your router modelLog into the device admin interface or check the physical device label to confirm the exact model number (Rv016, Rv042, Rv042g, Rv082, Rv320, or Rv325)Affected if The device is one of the six listed RV series models
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Confirm web-based management is enabledNavigate to the router administration page and locate the remote management settings (usually under Administration, Management, or Remote Management). Verify if the HTTP/HTTPS web interface is turned on.Affected if The web-based management interface is enabled on the device
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Check source IP restrictions for management accessIn the remote management settings, examine whether access is restricted to specific IP addresses or networks, or if it allows any IP (often labeled as 'Any IP' or '0.0.0.0').Affected if Web management is accessible from any IP address or from untrusted networks
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Review admin account activityCheck the router logs or active sessions for any administrative logins from unexpected IP addresses or at unusual times, and verify the list of configured admin accounts has not been modified.Affected if Unknown administrative accounts exist or login activity originates from untrusted source IPs
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Inspect for unauthorized configuration changesCompare current router configuration (especially port forwarding, VPN, firewall, and static route settings) against known-good backups or document any unexpected changes to network rules.Affected if Configuration changes exist that were not made by your authorized administrators
You are affected if you are using any of the listed RV series models (Rv016, Rv042, Rv042g, Rv082, Rv320, or Rv325) with the web-based management interface enabled and accessible.
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 · scopedSince Cisco has not released software updates, implement compensating controls such as restricting web management interface access to trusted networks only, using VPN or firewall rules to limit exposure, and monitoring for suspicious administrative activity.
- Restrict network access to the web-based management interface by placing it behind a firewall or VPN; do not expose it directly to the internet
- If remote management is required, use VPN connectivity to access the management interface rather than exposing it publicly
- Disable remote management access entirely if not needed, limiting access to the local LAN only
- Change default administrative credentials immediately and use strong, unique passwords
- Monitor Cisco security advisories (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com) for any future updates or workarounds
- Consider network segmentation to limit the impact of potential compromise
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Rv016 Firmware
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $10,240.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20124 — 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-2023-20124 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data