Meraki Systems ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2024-20430
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 Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (SM) Agent for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. This vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of directory search paths at runtime. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing both malicious configuration files and malicious DLL files on an affected system, which would read and execute the files when Cisco Meraki SM launches on startup. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system with SYSTEM 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 local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco Meraki Systems Manager Agent for Windows where the application improperly handles DLL search paths at runtime. A low-privileged authenticated attacker can place malicious configuration and DLL files on the system that get loaded with SYSTEM privileges when the SM agent launches on startup, achieving arbitrary code execution at elevated privileges.
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
Meraki Systems ManagerApplication
>= 1.0.98, < 4.2.0CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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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Verify Cisco Meraki Systems Manager Agent is installedCheck for the presence of the SM Agent service or executable. Look for 'Meraki Systems Manager Agent' in Windows Services (services.msc) or check for installation under Program Files, typically in a folder named 'Meraki' or 'Cisco Meraki'.Affected if The agent is not installed on the system.
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Identify installed versionOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) and locate 'Cisco Meraki Systems Manager Agent' in the list, noting the version column. Alternatively, right-click the SMAgent.exe file in the installation directory and view Properties > Details for the File Version.Affected if Installed version is >= 1.0.98 AND < 4.2.0.
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Confirm startup configurationOpen Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc) and look for a task named 'Meraki Systems Manager' or 'SM Agent' set to run at logon or startup. Or check the Windows Services console (services.msc) for the 'Meraki Systems Manager Agent' service with Startup Type set to Automatic.Affected if The SM agent is configured to run automatically at startup or user logon.
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Inspect application directory permissionsRight-click the SM Agent installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Meraki or C:\Program Files (x86)\Meraki), select Properties > Security, and review the permissions for Users or Authenticated Users. Specifically check if these groups have Write or Modify permissions.Affected if Non-admin users have Write or Modify permissions to the application directory.
A system is affected if the Meraki Systems Manager Agent is installed with a vulnerable version (>= 1.0.98, < 4.2.0), runs automatically at startup, and allows low-privileged users to write files to the application directory where malicious DLLs could be loaded.
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 · scoped4.2.0
Apply vendor patches from Cisco when available; until then, restrict write permissions on application directories and monitor for unauthorized DLL placement.
Cisco Meraki Systems Manager Agent version 4.2.0 or later
- 1. Identify the current version of Cisco Meraki Systems Manager Agent installed on the Windows system by checking Add/Remove Programs or the agent's version information
- 2. Navigate to the Cisco Meraki dashboard or authorized download portal to obtain the latest Systems Manager Agent installer
- 3. Download Systems Manager Agent version 4.2.0 or later from the Cisco Meraki download resources
- 4. Execute the installer with administrative privileges to upgrade the SM Agent
- 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by confirming the agent version shows 4.2.0 or higher in Add/Remove Programs or the Meraki dashboard
- 6. Confirm the agent is functioning correctly and communicating with the Meraki dashboard
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Meraki Systems Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20430 — 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-2024-20430 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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