# CVE-2016-6445: Auth bypass in Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6 and Acano Server before 1.8.18 and 1.9.x before 1.9.6

> An unauthenticated remote attacker can masquerade as a legitimate user by exploiting a flaw in the XMPP service's deprecated authentication processing.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Oct 2016
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gcmr-695p-fx75

## What is CVE-2016-6445?

CVE-2016-6445 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6 and Acano Server before 1.8.18 and 1.9.x before 1.9.6, published on 27 Oct 2016. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) service of the Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6 and Acano Server before 1.8.18 and 1.9.x before 1.9.6 could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to masquerade as a legitimate user. This vulnerability is due to the XMPP service incorrectly processing a deprecated authentication scheme. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to access the system as another user.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-6445?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Meeting Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-6445?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-6445 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-6445 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-6445 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6 and Acano Server before 1.8.18 and 1.9.x before 1.9.6

- [CVE-2016-6448](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6448/): Memory corruption in Cisco Meeting Server before 2.0.3 and Acano Server before 1.9.5 (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-12249](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-12249/): Misconfiguration in Cisco Meeting Server (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2018-0439](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0439/): Cisco Meeting Server Cross-Site Request Forgery Vulnerability (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-6444](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6444/): Cross-site request forgery in Cisco Meeting Server 1.8, 1.9, 2.0 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2018-0262](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0262/): Misconfiguration in Cisco Meeting Server (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-6445 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-6445 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6 and Acano Server before 1.8.18 and 1.9.x before 1.9.6, published on 27 Oct 2016. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-6445 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) before 2.0.6 and Acano Server before 1.8.18 and 1.9.x before 1.9.6. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6445/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6445/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-6445
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6445
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-6445

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6445/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.