The network devices manufacturer giant Cisco published an advisory on 11the January 2023 in which Cisco detailed an authentication bypass and remote code execution vulnerabilities in Cisco small business routers. The vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-20025 is a Critical severity vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.0 out of 10. And the vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-20026 is a Medium severity vulnerability with a CVSS score of 6.5 out of 10. Both the vulnerabilities are actually lice in the web-based management interface of affected Cisco Small Business Routers modules. Since this flaw allows the attacker to bypass authentication or execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device, it is most important to fix the CVE-2023-20025 and CVE-2023-20026 vulnerabilities. Let’s see how to fix CVE-2023-20025 And CVE-2023-20026, an authentication bypass, and remote command execution vulnerabilities in Cisco Small Business Routers.
The Cisco Small Business RV016, RV042, RV042G, and RV082 Routers are reliable and secure routers designed to provide businesses with powerful networking solutions. These routers feature advanced security features such as stateful packet inspection (SPI), Denial of Service (DoS) protection, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and Access Control Lists (ACLs). Furthermore, they offer high-speed Internet connectivity with support for 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and Fast Ethernet. With their robust feature set, these routers allow businesses to easily connect multiple computers, printers, IP phones, and other networked devices in a secure manner.
This is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the web-based management interface of a few Cisco small business routers, a small business solution that makes it easy to deploy and manage the WAN connectivity for branch offices, remote employees, and data centers. The flaw is due to improper validation of user input within incoming HTTP packets and could be exploited by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web-based management interface. This vulnerability could enable an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the authentication and gain access to the underlying operating system.
Associated CVE ID | CVE-2023-20025 |
Description | An Authentication Bypass Vulnerability in Cisco Small Business Routers |
Associated ZDI ID | – |
CVSS Score | 9.0 Critical |
Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
Impact Score | – |
Exploitability Score | – |
Attack Vector (AV) | Network |
Attack Complexity (AC) | High |
Privilege Required (PR) | None |
User Interaction (UI) | None |
Scope | Changed |
Confidentiality (C) | High |
Integrity (I) | High |
availability (a) | High |
This is a remote code execution vulnerability in the web-based management interface of a few Cisco small business routers, a small business solution that makes it easy to deploy and manage the WAN connectivity for branch offices, remote employees, and data centers. The flaw is due to improper validation of user input within incoming HTTP packets and could be exploited by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web-based management interface. This vulnerability could enable an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands, gain root-level privileges, and access unauthorized data. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker should have valid administrative credentials on the affected device.
Associated CVE ID | CVE-2023-20026 |
Description | A Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Cisco Small Business Routers |
Associated ZDI ID | – |
CVSS Score | 6.5 Medium |
Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
Impact Score | – |
Exploitability Score | – |
Attack Vector (AV) | Network |
Attack Complexity (AC) | Low |
Privilege Required (PR) | High |
User Interaction (UI) | None |
Scope | Unchanged |
Confidentiality (C) | High |
Integrity (I) | High |
availability (a) | None |
All software releases running on the following list of Cisco RV Series Small Business Routers are affected by these vulnerabilities:
RV016 Multi-WAN VPN Routers
RV042 Dual WAN VPN Routers
RV042G Dual Gigabit WAN VPN Routers
RV082 Dual WAN VPN Routers
Cisco has confirmed that the following Cisco RV Series Small Business Routers are not affected by these vulnerabilities:
RV160 VPN Routers
RV160W Wireless-AC VPN Routers
RV260 VPN Routers
RV260P VPN Routers with PoE
RV260W Wireless-AC VPN Routers
RV320 Dual Gigabit WAN VPN Routers
RV325 Dual Gigabit WAN VPN Routers
RV340 Dual WAN Gigabit VPN Routers
RV340W Dual WAN Gigabit Wireless-AC VPN Routers
RV345 Dual WAN Gigabit VPN Routers
RV345P Dual WAN Gigabit PoE VPN Routers
Cisco has not and will not release software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. However, administrators may disable the affected feature as described in the Workarounds section.
-Cisco
Unfortunately, there are no known workarounds to fully address these vulnerabilities. However, administrators can reduce the risk of exploitation by disabling remote management and blocking access to ports 443 and 60443. Despite this, the routers can be kept accessible within the local area network.
Workaround for CVE-2023-20025 And CVE-2023-20026 (Source: Cisco)
We hope this post would help you know how to fix CVE-2023-20025 And CVE-2023-20026, authentication bypass, and remote command execution vulnerabilities in Cisco Small Business Routers. Please share this post if you find this interested. Visit our social media page on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Telegram, Tumblr, Medium & Instagram, and subscribe to receive updates like this.
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Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
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