CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2022-20649 — A vulnerability in Cisco RCM for Cisco StarOS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to perform remote code...

High CVSS 8.1

A vulnerability in Cisco RCM for Cisco StarOS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to perform remote code execution on the application with root-level privileges in the context of the configured container. This vulnerability exists because the debug mode is incorrectly enabled for specific services. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to the device and navigating to the service with debug mode enabled. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as the root user. The attacker would need to perform detailed reconnaissance to allow for unauthenticated access. The vulnerability can also be exploited by an authenticated attacker. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.1 (3.1)
Published
2024-11-15
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-489

Affected products

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Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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