Cisco Issues Warning Over Severe Vulnerabilities in EoL Routers
Cisco has disclosed two critical security vulnerabilities affecting its end-of-life (EoL) Small Business RV016, RV042, RV042G, and RV082 routers. Despite acknowledging the availability of proof-of-concept exploits, the company has confirmed that it will not issue any updates to address these security flaws.
The vulnerabilities arise from the routers’ web-based management interface. They can enable remote attackers to bypass authentication or execute malicious commands on the operating system. The more concerning flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-20025, has a CVSS score of 9.0, which indicates its severity. It stems from insufficient validation of user input in incoming HTTP packets, allowing an adversary to send a specially formatted request. This can grant unauthorized access and elevated permissions to the vulnerable web management interface.
The second vulnerability, CVE-2023-20026, has a CVSS score of 6.5. It allows an attacker with valid administrator credentials to elevate their privileges to the root level, thereby accessing unauthorized data. Both vulnerabilities underscore a significant gap in validation mechanisms used by these routers, which have now officially entered the end-of-life stage.
Cisco has explicitly stated that no software updates will be forthcoming for these routers, urging that operators consider measures to mitigate the risks. Administrators are advised to disable remote management features and block access to specific ports—443 and 60443. However, Cisco cautions that users must evaluate the effectiveness of these workarounds based on their individual environments and conditions of use.
The vulnerabilities were identified by Hou Liuyang of Qihoo 360 Netlab, who reported them to Cisco. While the company acknowledges the existence of public exploit code, it has not detected any active malicious use of these vulnerabilities in live attacks to date.
This situation raises substantial concerns for businesses utilizing these routers, which are particularly sensitive to remote attacks. Cybersecurity professionals should recognize the relevance of the MITRE ATT&CK framework in understanding potential adversary tactics that could be employed. Techniques such as initial access through exploitation of remote services or privilege escalation methods associated with inadequate input validation may be pertinent to these vulnerabilities.
As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is imperative for businesses to remain vigilant and proactive about their cybersecurity measures, especially regarding legacy systems that may no longer receive adequate support. Stakeholders are urged to regularly review their network security protocols and consider the potential implications of continuing to operate on unsupported hardware.