Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20253
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 command line interface (cli) management interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage could allow an authenticated, local attacker to bypass authorization and allow the attacker to roll back the configuration on vManage controllers and edge router device. This vulnerability is due to improper access control in the cli-management interface of an affected system. An attacker with low-privilege (read only) access to the cli could exploit this vulnerability by sending a request to roll back the configuration on for other controller and devices managed by an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to to roll back the configuration on for other controller and devices managed by an affected system.
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 confidenceThis is an authorization bypass vulnerability in the CLI management interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage. A low-privilege (read-only) authenticated user can exploit improper access controls to send configuration rollback requests for vManage controllers and edge router devices they should not have such access to.
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
Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication
= 20.7= 20.8= 20.9= 20.11
Sd Wan VmanageApplication
< 20.6.2= 20.10CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the installed vManage versionRun 'show version' or check the vManage admin UI under Administration > Settings > Software Repository to determine the exact version number. Compare against affected versions: < 20.6.2, = 20.7, = 20.8, = 20.9, = 20.10, or = 20.11.Affected if The installed version matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE.
-
Confirm CLI management interface is enabledCheck the vManage administration settings or network configuration to determine if the CLI management interface (typically accessible via SSH on port 830) is enabled and exposed.Affected if CLI management interface is enabled and reachable on the network.
-
Review user accounts and their assigned rolesIn vManage, navigate to Administration > User & Role > Users (or equivalent) to list all configured users and their assigned roles. Identify any users with read-only or low-privilege roles.Affected if There exist users with read-only or low-privilege roles in the system.
-
Audit configuration rollback access controlsAs a read-only user, attempt to access or execute configuration rollback commands via the CLI management interface to verify if improper access is granted. Alternatively, review access control policies for the rollback feature.Affected if Read-only or low-privilege users can access configuration rollback functionality for controllers or edge routers they should not manage.
You are affected if vManage is running an affected version (less than 20.6.2, or versions 20.7 through 20.11 inclusive), the CLI management interface is enabled, and low-privilege users exist who could potentially exploit the authorization bypass to perform unauthorized configuration rollbacks.
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 · scoped20.6.2
Apply the relevant Cisco security update/patch for SD-WAN vManage to fix the improper access control in the CLI management interface. If unavailable, restrict CLI management access to only trusted, privileged users and monitor for unauthorized configuration rollback attempts.
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager 20.12+ or SD-WAN Vmanage 20.10.1+/20.6.2+
- 1. Identify the current installed version of Cisco SD-WAN vManage using 'show version' command in the CLI
- 2. If running Catalyst SD-WAN Manager versions 20.7, 20.8, 20.9, or 20.11, upgrade to a fixed release (20.12 or later)
- 3. If running SD-WAN Vmanage version 20.10, upgrade to version 20.10.1 or later
- 4. If running SD-WAN Vmanage version earlier than 20.6.2, upgrade to 20.6.2 or later
- 5. After upgrade, verify the fix by confirming that read-only users cannot perform configuration rollbacks
- 6. Review user privileges to ensure least-privilege access is enforced
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Catalyst Sd Wan Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20253 — 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-2023-20253 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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