dbcve.org
Rv016 FirmwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2023-20145

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 reflected 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 inject malicious JavaScript payloads via crafted HTTP requests that execute in the context of the router's web interface when users are persuaded to visit malicious pages.

MitigationSince Cisco has not released patches, mitigate by restricting management interface access to trusted networks only (disable WAN access, use ACLs or VPN for remote access), and monitor for suspicious activity targeting the web 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 router model
    Access the router's web interface or check the device label/menu to confirm the model is one of: RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325
    Affected if The model matches any of these six models
  2. Verify web management interface is enabled
    Log into the router admin panel and navigate to Administration > Management > HTTP/HTTPS access settings, or inspect network port 80/443 is listening on the device
    Affected if The web-based management interface (HTTP or HTTPS) is enabled and accessible
  3. Check WAN/remote access exposure
    In the router web interface, go to Administration > Management and verify if HTTP/HTTPS access is allowed from WAN (Internet) side, or check firewall/ACL rules for external access to port 80/443
    Affected if The web interface is accessible from WAN (the internet) rather than only from the local LAN
  4. Review HTTP access logs for suspicious requests
    Check router logs or system logging for crafted HTTP requests containing script tags, javascript:, or unusual URL parameters that may indicate XSS probing
    Affected if Logs show anomalous HTTP requests with potential XSS payloads targeting the web interface

A user is affected if they own an RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325 router with the web management interface enabled, especially if it is exposed to untrusted networks.

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, mitigate by restricting management interface access to trusted networks only (disable WAN access, use ACLs or VPN for remote access), and monitor for suspicious activity targeting the web interface.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. This vulnerability has no available fix from Cisco. The vendor has explicitly stated no software updates will be released for these end-of-life router models.
  2. Consider replacing affected devices with currently supported Cisco Small Business routers that receive security updates.
  3. If replacement is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the management interface using ACLs or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted internal networks only.
  4. Disable remote management access via WAN if not absolutely necessary.
  5. Monitor Cisco security advisories for any future updates or alternative mitigation guidance.
Caveat These are end-of-life devices with no security patches available; replacement is the only reliable remediation.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Rv016 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-20145 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