dbcve.org
Rv016 FirmwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2023-20148

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 exist in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV series routers (RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, RV325). The vulnerabilities stem from insufficient input validation, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted HTTP requests that execute when users visit attacker-controlled pages.

MitigationSince Cisco has not released patches, organizations should restrict web management interface access to trusted networks only, implement network segmentation, and consider deploying web application firewalls or alternative out-of-band management methods.

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 Cisco RV series routers on your network
    Use network scanning tools (Nmap, Angry IP Scanner) or device discovery to locate Cisco RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325 devices. Check device MAC addresses, hostname, or HTTP banner responses on ports 80/443.
    Affected if Any of these six models are present on the network
  2. Verify the web management interface is accessible
    Attempt HTTP/HTTPS connections to the device's IP address on ports 80 and 443. Confirm the Cisco RV series login page is returned.
    Affected if The web-based management interface responds and shows a Cisco RV login page
  3. Confirm firmware version
    Log into the web interface (if credentials are known) and navigate to the Status or System Summary page to view the firmware version. Alternatively, check DHCP logs, asset inventories, or router configuration backups for the firmware version string.
    Affected if The firmware version shown is any version of RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325 (all versions are affected)
  4. Determine interface exposure scope
    Check firewall rules, ACLs, or NAT configurations that control access to the router's web management interface IP. Identify whether it is reachable from untrusted networks such as the internet or guest LAN segments.
    Affected if The management interface is accessible from networks outside the trusted administration zone
  5. Assess authentication requirements
    Review whether the web interface requires authentication for access, or if the login page itself is reachable without prior authentication.
    Affected if The interface or specific endpoints are reachable without authentication (as stated in the CVE)

You are affected if you have any Cisco RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, or RV325 router with its web management interface accessible from untrusted networks, since all firmware versions contain the reflected 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 patches, organizations should restrict web management interface access to trusted networks only, implement network segmentation, and consider deploying web application firewalls or alternative out-of-band management methods.

Fix this in Rv016 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $6,000
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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-2023-20148 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