dbcve.org
Rv016 FirmwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2023-20139

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-05
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
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325 Routers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against a user of the interface. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient input validation by the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device and then persuading a user to visit specific web pages that include malicious payloads. 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. Cisco has not released software updates that address these vulnerabilities.

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

Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV series routers (RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, RV325) due to insufficient input validation. Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit by sending crafted HTTP requests and tricking users into visiting malicious pages, allowing arbitrary script execution in the browser context or access to sensitive browser-based information.

MitigationSince Cisco has not released software updates, implement compensating controls: restrict management interface access via ACLs/VPN/network segmentation, disable remote management if not required, and monitor for suspicious activity.

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
Affected:all versions
Rv042 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rv042g FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rv082 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rv320 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rv325 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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 router model
    Access the router web interface or check physical device labeling to confirm the exact model number (RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325)
    Affected if The device is any of these six models and has the web management interface enabled
  2. Verify web management interface is enabled
    Log into the router and navigate to Administration > Remote Management, or check if HTTP/HTTPS ports (typically 80/443) respond on the router IP address
    Affected if The web-based management interface is accessible and responds to HTTP/HTTPS requests
  3. Confirm remote management access
    Check the router configuration under Administration settings to determine if 'Remote Management' or 'Web Management' is enabled for external interfaces (WAN)
    Affected if Remote management is enabled, allowing unauthenticated HTTP requests from outside the local network
  4. Check interface exposure
    Test connectivity to the router's web interface from an external network, or review firewall/ACL rules that may or may not restrict access to the management ports from untrusted networks
    Affected if The router web interface is reachable from the internet or untrusted networks without ACL restrictions
  5. Review HTTP request handling
    Inspect HTTP request parameters in the router's web logs or capture a sample login/error page response to observe if user input is reflected without sanitization
    Affected if The management interface processes and reflects HTTP parameters without visible output encoding

You are affected if any Cisco RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325 router has its web-based management interface enabled and exposed, since all firmware versions for these models contain the XSS vulnerability.

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

Since Cisco has not released software updates, implement compensating controls: restrict management interface access via ACLs/VPN/network segmentation, disable remote management if not required, and monitor for suspicious activity.

Fix this in Rv016 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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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-2023-20139 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