Telepresence Video Communication ServerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20209
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Expressway Series and Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server (VCS) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with read-write privileges on the application to perform a command injection attack that could result in remote code execution on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to establish a remote shell with root privileges.
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 confidenceA command injection vulnerability exists in the web-based management interface of Cisco Expressway Series and Cisco TelePresence VCS. An attacker with authenticated read-write access can inject malicious OS commands through unsanitized user input in the web interface, achieving root-level remote code execution on the affected device.
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
Telepresence Video Communication ServerApplication
< 14.3.1CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed VCS versionAccess the web-based management interface and navigate to the System status or About page, or use the CLI command 'version' to retrieve the installed software versionAffected if The version displayed is below 14.3.1 (for example, 14.2.x, 14.1.x, or earlier)
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Confirm web management interface is activeCheck if the web-based management interface (HTTP/HTTPS) is enabled on the device by reviewing the interface status in the admin console or CLI output for HTTP server statusAffected if The web-based management interface is accessible and enabled on the device
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Verify read-write administrative accounts existReview the list of configured administrator accounts in the web interface under User settings or Administration > User, or query the account database via CLI to identify accounts with read-write (administrator-level) privilegesAffected if There are one or more accounts configured with read-write administrative access to the web interface
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Check network accessibility of management interfaceDetermine if the web management interface is exposed to untrusted networks by reviewing interface bindings, IP access lists, or firewall rules that control access to TCP ports 80/443Affected if The web management interface is reachable from networks outside the trusted administrative network
Your environment is affected if the installed Cisco Telepresence VCS version is below 14.3.1 AND the web-based management interface is enabled with at least one read-write privileged account accessible to the attacker.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped14.3.1
Apply Cisco security patches when available; until then, restrict web management interface access to trusted administrative networks using ACLs or VPN, and minimize the number of accounts with read-write privileges.
Cisco TelePresence VCS version 14.3.1 or later
- 1. Identify the current version of Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server by accessing the web-based management interface or using the CLI command 'xstatus version'
- 2. Navigate to the Cisco Software Download page at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com and locate the Cisco TelePresence VCS software for version 14.3.1 or later
- 3. Download the appropriate upgrade package for your hardware platform (VCS appliance, VCS Virtual Machine, or Expressway)
- 4. Back up the current configuration using the web interface (Maintenance > Backup and Restore) or CLI
- 5. Upload the upgrade file via the web interface (Maintenance > Upgrade) or via SCP/SFTP to the device
- 6. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade process
- 7. After reboot, verify the new version is 14.3.1 or later using 'xstatus version' or the web interface
- 8. Restore the configuration if needed and verify system functionality
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Telepresence Video Communication Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,152.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20209 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-20209 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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