CVE-2022-20702 in Small Business RV160
Summary
by MITRE • 02/10/2022
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers could allow an attacker to do any of the following: Execute arbitrary code Elevate privileges Execute arbitrary commands Bypass authentication and authorization protections Fetch and run unsigned software Cause denial of service (DoS) For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/14/2022
The CVE-2022-20702 vulnerability affects Cisco Small Business routers including RV160 RV260 RV340 and RV345 series devices which are widely deployed in small to medium enterprise environments. These routers serve as critical network gateways providing connectivity and security functions for organizations that rely on them for their network infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from multiple security flaws within the router firmware that collectively create a comprehensive attack surface allowing adversaries to gain unauthorized access and execute malicious activities. The affected devices are particularly concerning because they are often deployed in environments where network security is paramount but may lack proper monitoring and security controls that would be present in larger enterprise deployments.
The technical implementation of these vulnerabilities involves several distinct attack vectors that exploit weaknesses in the router's authentication mechanisms and privilege management systems. Attackers can leverage these flaws to execute arbitrary code on the affected devices which represents a critical escalation from simple network access to full system compromise. The vulnerabilities also enable privilege elevation attacks where unauthenticated users can gain administrative access to the router configuration. Additionally the flaws allow for arbitrary command execution which means attackers can issue commands directly to the underlying operating system of the devices. The authentication bypass capabilities are particularly dangerous as they completely undermine the security model of the routers and allow attackers to access administrative interfaces without proper credentials. These vulnerabilities are classified under CWE-284 for improper access control and CWE-78 for command injection which are well-established weakness categories in software security.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities is severe for organizations relying on affected Cisco routers as they create multiple attack pathways that can lead to complete network compromise. An attacker who successfully exploits these vulnerabilities can gain persistent access to the network infrastructure and potentially use the compromised routers as entry points for lateral movement throughout the organization. The ability to fetch and run unsigned software creates a significant risk of malware deployment and allows attackers to install backdoors or other malicious components directly on the router. The denial of service capabilities mean that attackers can disrupt network operations by causing the routers to become unresponsive or crash entirely. Organizations may experience extended downtime and potential data loss when these vulnerabilities are exploited, with the severity of impact directly correlating to the criticality of the network infrastructure that relies on these devices for connectivity.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-20702 should include immediate firmware updates from Cisco to address the identified vulnerabilities and prevent exploitation attempts. Network administrators should implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of compromised devices and establish monitoring controls to detect unauthorized access attempts. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by restricting administrative access to only authorized personnel and implementing multi-factor authentication where possible. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive network assessments to identify all affected devices and ensure proper network access controls are in place. According to ATT&CK framework these vulnerabilities map to multiple techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter which demonstrates the comprehensive nature of the attack surface. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be implemented to maintain ongoing protection against similar threats and ensure that network infrastructure remains secure against evolving attack techniques.