Broadworks Application Delivery PlatformApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20216
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 privilege management functionality of all Cisco BroadWorks server types could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to root on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to incorrect implementation of user role permissions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the application as a user with the BWORKS or BWSUPERADMIN role and issuing crafted commands on an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands beyond the sphere of their intended access level, including initiating installs or running operating system commands with elevated permissions. There are workarounds that address this vulnerability.
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 confidenceThis is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco BroadWorks where the privilege management functionality incorrectly implements user role permissions. An attacker who has authenticated to the application with BWORKS or BWSUPERADMIN role can issue crafted commands to execute OS-level operations with root privileges beyond their intended access level.
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
Broadworks Application Delivery PlatformApplication
< ri.2023.05
Broadworks Application ServerApplication
< 23.0.2023.05< 2023.05>= 24.0, < 24.0.2023.05
Broadworks Database ServerDatabase / datastore
< 2023.05
Broadworks Execution ServerApplication
< 2023.05
Broadworks Media ServerApplication
< 2023.05
Broadworks Network Database ServerDatabase / datastore
< 2023.05
Broadworks Network Function ManagerApplication
< 2023.05
Broadworks Network ServerApplication
< 23.0.2023.05< 2023.05CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 BroadWorks componentsQuery the system for installed Cisco BroadWorks packages or services. Common locations include /opt/broadworks/ or use package management tools like rpm or dpkg to list installed broadworks-related packages.Affected if Any of these BroadWorks components are installed: Application Delivery Platform, Application Server, Database Server, Execution Server, Media Server, Network Database Server, Network Function Manager, or Network Server
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Check version of installed BroadWorks componentsUse version checking commands appropriate to each component (for example, 'bwadmin --version', 'rpm -qi <package-name>', or check version files in installation directories). Compare each installed version against the affected ranges: Application Delivery Platform < ri.2023.05; Application Server < 23.0.2023.05, < 2023.05, or >= 24.0 but < 24.0.2023.05; Database Server, Execution Server, Media Server, Network Database Server, Network Function Manager < 2023.05; Network Server < 23.0.2023.05 or < 2023.05.Affected if Any installed component version falls within the affected version ranges listed in the CVE
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Verify if BWORKS or BWSUPERADMIN roles exist and are activeQuery the privilege management or role-based access control configuration. Check user role assignments in the BroadWorks administration interface or configuration files to determine if any users are assigned BWORKS or BWSUPERADMIN roles.Affected if BWORKS or BWSUPERADMIN roles are assigned to any user accounts in the system
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Inspect privilege management configuration for role permission settingsExamine the privilege management configuration files or settings that control role-based permissions. Look for the specific permission definitions that govern what operations BWORKS and BWSUPERADMIN roles can perform, particularly any settings related to OS-level command execution or root privileges.Affected if The privilege management configuration shows BWORKS or BWSUPERADMIN roles have elevated OS-level execution permissions beyond their documented scope
A system is affected if it runs any of the listed BroadWorks components at a version below the fixed releases AND has users assigned the BWORKS or BWSUPERADMIN roles with elevated privileges enabled.
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.
From vendor data23.0.2023.0524.0.2023.052023.05
Apply Cisco's provided workarounds or patches for this vulnerability; restrict access to BWORKS and BWSUPERADMIN roles to only necessary personnel and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.
Fix this in Broadworks Application Delivery Platform
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,816.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20216 — 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-2023-20216 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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