dbcve.org
AsyncosOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2024-20429

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 web-based management interface of Cisco AsyncOS for Secure Email Gateway could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary system commands on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation in certain portions of the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with root privileges. To successfully exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need at least valid Operator credentials.

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 confidence

This is an authenticated command injection vulnerability in Cisco AsyncOS for Secure Email Gateway's web-based management interface. An attacker with valid Operator-level credentials can send specially crafted HTTP requests that bypass input validation, allowing execution of arbitrary operating system commands with root privileges on the underlying appliance.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Cisco as soon as possible. In the interim, restrict web management interface access to trusted IP addresses only and ensure Operator credentials meet strong password policies.

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
AsyncosOperating system
Affected:= 11.0.3-238= 11.1.0-069= 11.1.0-128= 11.1.0-131= 12.0.0-419= 12.1.0-071= 12.1.0-087= 12.1.0-089= 12.5.0-066= 12.5.3-041= 12.5.4-041= 13.0.0-392

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check AsyncOS version
    Access the appliance CLI and run the 'version' or 'show version' command, or log into the web-based management interface and navigate to System Administration > System Setup to view the version information
    Affected if The installed version matches one of these builds: 11.0.3-238, 11.1.0-069, 11.1.0-128, 11.1.0-131, 12.0.0-419, 12.1.0-071, 12.1.0-087, 12.1.0-089, 12.5.0-066, 12.5.3-041, 12.5.4-041, or 13.0.0-392
  2. Verify web-based management interface is enabled
    Check the appliance configuration via CLI with 'show interface' or through the web interface under System Administration > Network > IP Interfaces to confirm the Management interface has HTTP/HTTPS services enabled
    Affected if The web-based management interface (HTTP or HTTPS) is listening and accessible on any interface
  3. Confirm Operator-level accounts exist
    Review user accounts in the web interface under System Administration > User Management, or use the CLI 'userlist' command to enumerate accounts with Operator privileges
    Affected if Any Operator-level or higher user account is present in the system, as this credential level is required to exploit the vulnerability
  4. Audit access to the management interface
    Review firewall rules, ACLs, or IP access lists that control reachability to the appliance's management interface IP addresses and ports (typically 443/HTTPS)
    Affected if The management interface is reachable from untrusted networks or IP addresses not controlled by the organization

The environment is affected if the AsyncOS version matches one of the listed vulnerable builds AND the web-based management interface is enabled AND at least one Operator-level account exists AND the interface is network-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 patch from Cisco as soon as possible. In the interim, restrict web management interface access to trusted IP addresses only and ensure Operator credentials meet strong password policies.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Fixed AsyncOS release (obtain specific version from Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-asyncos-cmd-injection-XXXX)

  1. Contact Cisco TAC or visit the Cisco Security Advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com to obtain the specific fixed release for your AsyncOS version
  2. Download the recommended fixed AsyncOS release from Cisco's download portal
  3. Review the upgrade procedure in the Cisco AsyncOS migration or upgrade guide
  4. Plan maintenance window as upgrades require device downtime
  5. Back up current configuration before proceeding
  6. Upload and install the fixed AsyncOS release following Cisco's standard upgrade procedure
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful and the vulnerability is remediated by confirming the fixed version is installed
Caveat AsyncOS upgrades may require downtime and could have configuration migration requirements; review release notes for compatibility considerations

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

Fix this in Asyncos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,800
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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-2024-20429 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