Auth bypass in Cisco Email Security Appliance (Esa)

CVE-2022-20798

A vulnerability in the external authentication functionality of Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, formerly known as Cisco Security Management Appliance (SMA), and Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and log in to the web management interface of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper authentication checks when an affected device uses Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for external authentication. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by entering a specific input on the login page of the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain unauthorized access to the web-based management interface of the affected device.

Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication

EPSS: 0.015 (72.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-20798?
CVE-2022-20798 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Email Security Appliance (Esa), classified under Improper Authentication. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2022-06-15.
How severe is CVE-2022-20798?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.