CVE-2022-20764 in TelePresence Collaboration Endpoint
Summary
by MITRE • 05/04/2022
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web engine of Cisco TelePresence Collaboration Endpoint (CE) Software and Cisco RoomOS Software could allow a remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition, view sensitive data on an affected device, or redirect users to an attacker-controlled destination. For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-20764 affects the web engine component of Cisco TelePresence Collaboration Endpoint software and Cisco RoomOS software, representing a critical security weakness that exposes organizations to significant operational risks. These collaboration endpoints are widely deployed in enterprise environments for video conferencing and unified communications, making them attractive targets for cyber adversaries seeking to disrupt business operations or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The affected web engine serves as the primary interface for user interaction and system management, creating multiple attack vectors that can be exploited by remote threat actors without requiring physical access or authentication credentials.
The technical flaw manifests through multiple pathways that can be exploited to execute denial of service attacks, access sensitive data, and redirect users to malicious websites. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data within the web engine's processing mechanisms, allowing attackers to craft malicious payloads that can trigger unexpected behavior in the affected systems. The web engine's failure to properly handle malformed or specially crafted HTTP requests creates opportunities for exploitation that can result in complete system disruption or unauthorized data access. These weaknesses are particularly concerning because they affect the core functionality of collaboration devices that often serve as critical communication infrastructure within enterprise networks.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-20764 extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass potential data breaches and unauthorized redirection attacks that can compromise the integrity of enterprise communications. Organizations relying on these endpoints for critical business operations face the risk of interrupted video conferencing sessions, unauthorized access to meeting content, and potential redirection to phishing or malware distribution sites. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target these devices from anywhere on the internet, eliminating the need for physical presence or network proximity. This characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where endpoint security controls may be insufficient or improperly configured.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) categories, representing fundamental security flaws that can lead to severe operational consequences. The attack patterns associated with this vulnerability map to several ATT&CK techniques including T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1499 (Endpoint Denial of Service), demonstrating how the vulnerability can be leveraged for both service disruption and data exfiltration. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including immediate software patching, network segmentation to isolate affected endpoints, and enhanced monitoring of network traffic for suspicious activity. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution risk necessitates urgent remediation efforts to protect enterprise communication infrastructure from potential exploitation by threat actors.