dbcve.org
Authentication ProxyApplication · Duo

CVE-2023-20207

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
A vulnerability in the logging component of Cisco Duo Authentication Proxy could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to view sensitive information in clear text on an affected system. This vulnerability exists because certain unencrypted credentials are stored. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the logs on an affected system and obtaining credentials that they may not normally have access to. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view sensitive information in clear text.

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 · moderate confidence

The Cisco Duo Authentication Proxy logging component stores certain credentials in unencrypted (clear text) format. An authenticated remote attacker with access to system logs can read these exposed credentials, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive authentication data.

MitigationRestrict access to log files via file permissions and access controls, implement log sanitization to prevent credential capture, rotate any exposed credentials, and apply vendor patches if available.

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
Authentication ProxyApplication
Affected:= 5.8.1= 6.0.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 installed Duo Authentication Proxy version
    Locate the Duo Authentication Proxy installation and retrieve its version number using the software's version command or checking the installed package information
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 5.8.1 or exactly 6.0.0
  2. Verify logging functionality is enabled
    Check the Duo Authentication Proxy configuration files and settings to determine if the logging component is active
    Affected if Logging is enabled and configured to write to disk-based log files
  3. Locate log file directories
    Identify the directories where Duo Authentication Proxy stores its log files, typically found in the installation directory or system log locations
    Affected if Log files exist and are accessible on the system
  4. Inspect log file contents for credentials
    Search through the log files for patterns that resemble credentials, API keys, secrets, or authentication tokens stored in clear text
    Affected if Log files contain unencrypted credentials, API keys, or authentication secrets
  5. Verify log file access controls
    Check file permissions on the log directories and files to determine if unauthorized users or processes can read them
    Affected if Log files are readable by users or processes other than the Duo Authentication Proxy service account

A system is affected if Duo Authentication Proxy version 5.8.1 or 6.0.0 is installed with logging enabled and log files are accessible to unauthorized users who could read exposed credentials.

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

Restrict access to log files via file permissions and access controls, implement log sanitization to prevent credential capture, rotate any exposed credentials, and apply vendor patches if available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Authentication Proxy version 5.8.2 or later (5.x branch), or 6.0.1 or later (6.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of Cisco Duo Authentication Proxy by checking the proxy version or system information.
  2. 2. Confirm the affected versions (5.8.1 or 6.0.0) are in use.
  3. 3. Access the Cisco Duo Admin Panel or use command-line tools to check for available updates.
  4. 4. Upgrade to the fixed release version that addresses CVE-2023-20207 - typically this would be version 5.8.2 or later for the 5.x branch, or version 6.0.1 or later for the 6.x branch.
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify that the logging configuration has been updated and no longer stores credentials in clear text.
  6. 6. Review the new log files to confirm sensitive information is no longer visible in plaintext.
  7. 7. Implement least-privilege access controls on log directories to limit who can read authentication proxy logs.
Caveat Review Cisco Duo release notes for the target version to check for any configuration changes or backwards compatibility considerations before upgrading

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

Fix this in Authentication Proxy 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-2023-20207 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