dbcve.org
Rv016 FirmwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2023-20140

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 stored XSS vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV series routers (RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, RV325) allow unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious script payloads via crafted HTTP requests. When authenticated users visit affected web pages, the stored payloads execute in their browser context, enabling arbitrary script execution or access to sensitive browser-based information.

MitigationSince Cisco has not released patches, implement compensating controls: restrict management interface access to trusted networks only, disable remote web management if unnecessary, or deploy network-level ACLs to prevent unauthorized access to the management interface.

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 the router model
    Access the router web interface and check the Device Info or Status page, or log into the console and run 'show version' or check the model label on the device
    Affected if The device model is one of RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325
  2. Verify web-based management is enabled
    Log into the router admin interface and navigate to Administration > Web-Based Management or similar settings page. Confirm the management interface is enabled.
    Affected if Web-based management is enabled on the device
  3. Check if remote web access is permitted
    In the router settings, look for 'Remote Management' or 'Web Access' settings. Determine if management access is allowed from external networks or WAN interfaces.
    Affected if Remote or WAN-accessible web management is enabled, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reach the login page
  4. Assess network exposure of management interface
    From an external network perspective, attempt to reach the router's web interface on ports 443 or 80, or review firewall/network rules that permit access to the management IP
    Affected if The management interface is reachable from untrusted networks or the internet
  5. Review HTTP handling behavior
    Since this is a stored XSS affecting authenticated user sessions, examine any web pages that accept user input and persist it (such as hostname, LAN IP settings, or VPN configurations). Submit benign test input and verify it persists across page reloads.
    Affected if The router accepts and stores user-supplied input in web interface fields that are displayed back without proper sanitization

If the device is any RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325 model with its web management interface exposed to network attackers, the environment is affected by this stored 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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Since Cisco has not released patches, implement compensating controls: restrict management interface access to trusted networks only, disable remote web management if unnecessary, or deploy network-level ACLs to prevent unauthorized access to the management interface.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. There are no software fixes available from Cisco for this vulnerability.
  2. If the web-based management interface is not required for business operations, disable it.
  3. If the web-based management interface is required, restrict access to it using network segmentation, VPN, or firewall access control lists to limit exposure to untrusted networks.
  4. Monitor Cisco security advisories for any future updates at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com.
  5. Educate users about the risks of clicking on untrusted links, though this does not eliminate the vulnerability itself.

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
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
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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-2023-20140 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