External risk intelligence

Cisco SSM On-Prem Unauthenticated User Password Change Vulnerability

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0)

CVE-2024-20419

Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem is a management platform often deployed in enterprise environments to handle software licensing. While it acts as a management interface, it is frequently network-accessible to internal systems and can be exposed to the internet depending on organizational deployment requirements for remote management or centralized license administration.

Cisco Smart Software Manager On Prem

before 8-202112

Halo Surface Signal: 4 out of 5 — likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

A critical vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem's authentication system allows unauthenticated attackers to change any user's password, potentially granting them administrative access. This issue stems from an improper implementation of the password-change process, which could be exploited through crafted HTTP requests. The primary concern is to confirm if this management platform is deployed and exposed within the organization.

Attackers can change any user's password remotely.
Confirms relevance and exposure in your environment.
Verify if this management tool is in use.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to a vulnerable Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem system. No authentication is required for this attack. If successful, the attacker could gain the privileges of any user, including an administrator, and access sensitive system functions through the web UI or API.

No authentication needed to attack.
Crafted HTTP requests trigger the flaw.
Attackers gain user or admin access.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

An unauthenticated attacker could change any user's password in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem when it is reachable over the network. This could grant them access to the web UI or API with the privileges of the compromised user.

User accounts and administrative access.
Sending crafted HTTP requests to the system.
Unauthorized access and control of software licensing.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

The Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem authentication vulnerability requires immediate attention from teams responsible for managing and securing this platform. This includes infrastructure or platform teams overseeing the SSM On-Prem deployment, alongside network and security teams who would assess external reachability and potential impact. The initial practical move involves identifying all instances of SSM On-Prem, determining their exposure and criticality, and locating the accountable system owner to coordinate a response.

Platform and security teams own remediation.
Verify SSM On-Prem network exposure and criticality.
Plan and execute vendor-recommended mitigation.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem?

Cisco SSM On-Prem is a management platform that organizations host internally to handle and centralize their Cisco software licenses. It serves as a dedicated interface for administrators to track and manage software entitlements across their network infrastructure.

What does CVE-2024-20419 mean for authentication?

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-620, which relates to the improper implementation of a password-change process. In this specific case, it allows an unauthenticated person to interact with the system's authentication functions and force a password reset for any user, including high-privilege administrators, without knowing the original credentials.

How do attackers trigger this vulnerability?

An attacker triggers this flaw by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to the target system. Because the vulnerability exists within the application's password-handling logic, normal, authenticated interactions with the software or typical administrative usage of the web interface do not trigger the issue.

Why is network accessibility important for this CVE?

According to Halo Surface Signal, this software is often used for centralized licensing and may be network-accessible to internal systems. While the platform is frequently used internally, it is sometimes exposed to the internet for remote management, which significantly increases the risk as it allows potential attackers to reach the system from outside the perimeter.

What should I do if I use this software?

Your first step is to locate all instances of Cisco SSM On-Prem within your organization and identify the teams responsible for managing them. Once identified, evaluate whether these systems are reachable over the network and coordinate with your platform owners to implement the official vendor-provided mitigation.

References

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.