CVE-2023-20127 in Prime Infrastructure
Summary
by MITRE • 04/05/2023
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Prime Infrastructure and Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager (EPNM) could allow a remote attacker to obtain privileged information and conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) and cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-20127 affects Cisco Prime Infrastructure and Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager platforms, which are critical components in enterprise network management and monitoring. These systems serve as central control points for managing complex network infrastructures, making them attractive targets for cyber adversaries seeking to gain unauthorized access to sensitive network information and operational controls. The affected web-based management interfaces represent the primary attack surface where remote exploitation can occur without requiring authentication, potentially allowing attackers to compromise the entire network management ecosystem.
The technical flaw encompasses multiple vulnerability types including information disclosure, cross-site scripting, and cross-site request forgery attacks. The information disclosure aspect allows attackers to obtain privileged information that should remain confidential, potentially exposing network configurations, user credentials, or operational data. The XSS vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, which could lead to session hijacking, data theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The CSRF vulnerability permits attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially allowing them to modify network configurations, create new user accounts, or execute administrative commands without proper authorization.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities is significant for organizations relying on Cisco Prime Infrastructure and EPNM for their network management. Attackers could exploit these weaknesses to gain elevated privileges within the network management system, potentially leading to complete compromise of network monitoring capabilities. The combination of these attack vectors creates a multi-layered threat scenario where an initial information disclosure could lead to more severe exploitation through XSS and CSRF techniques. Network administrators might lose visibility into their infrastructure, while unauthorized modifications could disrupt network operations or create backdoors for persistent access.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate management interfaces from untrusted networks, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious traffic patterns, and applying the latest security patches provided by Cisco. Access controls should be strengthened through multi-factor authentication, regular privilege reviews, and monitoring for unusual administrative activities. The vulnerabilities align with CWE-200 for information disclosure, CWE-79 for cross-site scripting, and CWE-352 for cross-site request forgery, representing fundamental web application security weaknesses that require comprehensive defensive measures. According to ATT&CK framework, these vulnerabilities map to techniques involving credential access, privilege escalation, and initial access through web application attacks, emphasizing the need for layered security approaches that address both network-level and application-level threats.