CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2023-20063 — Cisco Firepower Threat Defense security vulnerability

High CVSS 8.2

A vulnerability in the inter-device communication mechanisms between devices that are running Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software and devices that are running Cisco Firepower Management (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root permissions on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the expert mode of an affected device and submitting specific commands to a connected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of an FMC device if the attacker has administrative privileges on an associated FTD device. Alternatively, a successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of an FTD device if the attacker has administrative privileges on an associated FMC device.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.2 (3.1)
Published
2023-11-01
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-94, CWE-20

Affected products

  • cisco / firepower_threat_defense
  • cisco / secure_firewall_management_center

Showing 2 representative product identities from 13 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

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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