dbcve.org
AsyncosOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2024-20504

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 Software for Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, Secure Email Gateway, and Secure Web Appliance could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the interface. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user of an affected 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 · high confidence

This is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Secure Email Gateway, Secure Web Appliance, and Secure Email and Web Manager running AsyncOS software. An authenticated attacker can inject malicious JavaScript code through insufficiently validated user input fields. When other users view the compromised content in the management interface, the attacker's script executes in their browser context, potentially allowing session hijacking or access to sensitive information.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security update/patch from Cisco for this vulnerability. As a compensating control, implement content security policy headers and educate users about not clicking untrusted links until the patch is deployed.

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:= 14.0.0-698= 14.2.0-620= 14.2.1-020= 14.3.0-032= 15.0.0-104= 15.0.1-030= 15.5.0-048= 15.5.1-055= 14.0.0-404= 14.1.0-223= 14.1.0-227= 14.2.0-212

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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 AsyncOS version
    Access the appliance CLI and run the 'version' command, or log into the web-based management interface and navigate to System Administration > Software Updates > AsyncOS Version to view the installed version.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the following: 14.0.0-698, 14.2.0-620, 14.2.1-020, 14.3.0-032, 15.0.0-104, 15.0.1-030, 15.5.0-048, 15.5.1-055, 14.0.0-404, 14.1.0-223, 14.1.0-227, or 14.2.0-212.
  2. Verify web management interface is enabled
    In the web interface, go to Network > IP Interfaces or use the CLI command 'interfaceconfig' to confirm the Management interface has HTTP or HTTPS enabled.
    Affected if The web-based management interface (HTTP or HTTPS) is accessible and enabled on the appliance.
  3. Check for suspicious user-defined content
    Review management interface configuration pages where users can define custom content, such as email templates, policy definitions, or quarantine messages. Look for any stored values containing script tags or javascript: URLs.
    Affected if Any user-defined fields contain unsanitized HTML or JavaScript code that could execute in another user's browser.
  4. Review audit logs for XSS injection attempts
    Examine the appliance audit logs under System Administration > Audit Log for entries containing patterns like '<script>', 'javascript:', or HTML event handlers in user input fields.
    Affected if Logs show injection attempts or stored payloads that suggest exploitation of this vulnerability.

The environment is affected if the appliance runs any of the listed AsyncOS versions AND has the web-based management interface enabled, allowing authenticated users to inject malicious script content that other users would execute when viewing the compromised interface.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied security update/patch from Cisco for this vulnerability. As a compensating control, implement content security policy headers and educate users about not clicking untrusted links until the patch is deployed.

Fix this in Asyncos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-20504 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