dbcve.org
Unified Communications ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20242

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-16
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
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified CM Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), and Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface. This vulnerability exists because the web-based management interface does not properly validate user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of the interface to click a crafted link. 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.

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

This is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the web-based management interfaces of Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Unified CM Session Management Edition, and Unified CM IM & Presence Service. The interface fails to properly validate user-supplied input, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted links that execute in the context of a user's session.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided security patches from Cisco for affected Unified CM and IM&P installations. Until patched, users should avoid clicking untrusted links to the management 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
Unified Communications ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.5\(1\)= 12.5\(1\)= 14.0
Unified Communications Manager Im And Presence ServiceApplication
Affected:= 11.5\(1\)= 12.5\(1\)= 14.0

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
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 Unified Communications Manager version
    Access the Cisco Unified Communications Manager admin interface and navigate to About page, or run 'show version' command via SSH/CLI on the server
    Affected if The installed version is 11.5(1), 12.5(1), or 14.0
  2. Identify Unified CM IM & Presence Service version
    Access the IM & Presence Service admin interface About page, or check via 'show version' command on the IM&P server
    Affected if The installed version is 11.5(1), 12.5(1), or 14.0
  3. Confirm web-based management interface is enabled
    Attempt to access the Cisco Unified CM web management interface (typically on port 8443 or 443) or check via CLI for active web services
    Affected if The web management interface is accessible and running on the affected version
  4. Check for recent unauthorized access indicators
    Review web server access logs and Cisco Unified CM CDR or audit logs for suspicious crafted URL patterns containing script tags
    Affected if Evidence exists of malicious URLs with script injection attempts against the management interface

Your environment is affected if you are running Cisco Unified Communications Manager or IM & Presence Service versions 11.5(1), 12.5(1), or 14.0 with the web-based management interface enabled and accessible.

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

Apply the vendor-provided security patches from Cisco for affected Unified CM and IM&P installations. Until patched, users should avoid clicking untrusted links to the management interface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

For 11.5(1): upgrade to 11.5(1)SU9 or later | For 12.5(1): upgrade to 12.5(1)SU6 or later | For 14.0: upgrade to 14.0(1)SU4 or later

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Cisco Unified CM or Unified CM IM&P version using the admin web interface or CLI command 'show version'.
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on your current version (11.5(1), 12.5(1), or 14.0).
  3. 3. Navigate to the Cisco Software Download page and obtain the relevant Security Update for your product version.
  4. 4. Review the release notes for any prerequisites, such as required upgrades to intermediate versions.
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades may require service downtime.
  6. 6. Back up the current system configuration before proceeding with the upgrade.
  7. 7. Apply the upgrade following the Cisco upgrade procedure documentation for your product version.
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the version has been updated and confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
Caveat Review Cisco's upgrade path documentation as some releases require intermediate upgrades first; ensure compatibility with existing integrations and dependencies

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

Fix this in Unified Communications Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
27.0 hours of engineering $4,800
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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-2023-20242 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