CVE-2023-20266 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2023-20266
Vulnerability Scoring

6.5
/10
High Risk

If left unpatched, CVE-2023-20266 could lead to major system disruptions or data loss.

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: High
    High-level privileges are required for exploitation.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2023-20266 Details

Status: Modified

Last updated: 🕢 21 Nov 2024, 07:41 UTC
Originally published on: 🕔 30 Aug 2023, 17:15 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 448 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

ykramarz@cisco.com

CVSS3 Type

Secondary

CVSS3 Vector

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

CVE-2023-20266 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2023-20266: A vulnerability in Cisco Emergency Responder, Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), and Cisco Unity Connection could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges to root on an affected device. This vulnerability exists because the application does not properly restrict the files that are being used for upgrades. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by providing a crafted upgrade file. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to root. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid platform administrator credentials on an affected device.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2023-20266

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2023-20266 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-2023-20266

The exploitability of CVE-2023-20266 is influenced by multiple factors. Security teams should analyze system configurations and apply appropriate countermeasures to mitigate threats.

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-2023-20266, 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-2023-20266, 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-2023-20266 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2023-20266 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: None
    CVE-2023-20266 does not impact system availability.

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

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

EPSS Score: 0.12% (probability of exploit)

EPSS Percentile: 47.78% (lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 52.22% of others.

CVE-2023-20266 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-269

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

  • Privilege Abuse CAPEC-122 An adversary is able to exploit features of the target that should be reserved for privileged users or administrators but are exposed to use by lower or non-privileged accounts. Access to sensitive information and functionality must be controlled to ensure that only authorized users are able to access these resources.
  • Privilege Escalation CAPEC-233 An adversary exploits a weakness enabling them to elevate their privilege and perform an action that they are not supposed to be authorized to perform.
  • Restful Privilege Elevation CAPEC-58 An adversary identifies a Rest HTTP (Get, Put, Delete) style permission method allowing them to perform various malicious actions upon server data due to lack of access control mechanisms implemented within the application service accepting HTTP messages.

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:emergency_responder:12.5.1su4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:emergency_responder:12.5.1su4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:emergency_responder:12.5.1su8a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:emergency_responder:12.5.1su8a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:emergency_responder:14su3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:emergency_responder:14su3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unified_communications_manager:12.5.1su8:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unified_communications_manager:12.5.1su8:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unified_communications_manager:12.5.1su8:*:*:*:session_management:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unified_communications_manager:12.5.1su8:*:*:*:session_management:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:12.5\(1\)su6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:12.5\(1\)su6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:12.5\(1\)su7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:12.5\(1\)su7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:12.5\(1\)su8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:12.5\(1\)su8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:14su2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:14su2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:14su3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:cisco:unity_connection:14su3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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