CVE-2023-20238 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2023-20238
Vulnerability Scoring

10.0
/10
Critical Risk

As a catastrophic security flaw, CVE-2023-20238 has severe implications, demanding immediate intervention.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Network
    Vulnerability is exploitable over a network without physical access.
  • Privileges Required: None
    No privileges are required for exploitation.
  • Scope: Changed
    Successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2023-20238 Details

Status: Modified

Last updated: 🕢 21 Nov 2024, 07:40 UTC
Originally published on: 🕕 06 Sep 2023, 18:15 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 441 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

ykramarz@cisco.com

CVSS3 Type

Secondary

CVSS3 Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVE-2023-20238 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2023-20238: A vulnerability in the single sign-on (SSO) implementation of Cisco BroadWorks Application Delivery Platform and Cisco BroadWorks Xtended Services Platform could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to forge the credentials required to access an affected system. This vulnerability is due to the method used to validate SSO tokens. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the application with forged credentials. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to commit toll fraud or to execute commands at the privilege level of the forged account. If that account is an Administrator account, the attacker would have the ability to view confidential information, modify customer settings, or modify settings for other users. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need a valid user ID that is associated with an affected Cisco BroadWorks system.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2023-20238

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2023-20238 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2023-20238

With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2023-20238 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2023-20238, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2023-20238, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: High
    Exploiting CVE-2023-20238 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2023-20238 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: High
    CVE-2023-20238 can disrupt system operations, potentially causing complete denial of service (DoS).

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.

EPSS Score: 0.247% (probability of exploit)

EPSS Percentile: 64.55% (lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 35.45% of others.

CVE-2023-20238 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

NVD-CWE-noinfo

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_application_delivery_platform:ri.2023.06:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_application_delivery_platform:ri.2023.06:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_application_delivery_platform:ri.2023.07:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_application_delivery_platform:ri.2023.07:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:-:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:-:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:-:*:*:*:release_independent:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:-:*:*:*:release_independent:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:22.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:22.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:2023.06:*:*:*:release_independent:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:2023.06:*:*:*:release_independent:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:2023.07:*:*:*:release_independent:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:broadworks_xtended_services_platform:2023.07:*:*:*:release_independent:*:*:*

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