# CVE-2023-20218: Cross-site scripting in Cisco Small Business IP Phones

> Authenticated attackers can inject scripts into the web management interface of Cisco SPA500 ATAs, enabling page redirection and client-side attacks.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/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:** 3 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 17 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8397-p27v-5qrr

## What is CVE-2023-20218?

CVE-2023-20218 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Cisco Small Business IP Phones, published on 3 Aug 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in web-based management interface of Cisco SPA500 Series Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to to modify a web page in the context of a user's browser.

 This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface of the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user to click a crafted link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to alter the contents of a web page to redirect the user to potentially malicious websites, or the attacker could use this vulnerability to conduct further client-side attacks.

 Cisco will not release software updates that address this vulnerability.  

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Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), CWE-80 (Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-20218?

It affects 12 products.


Products: Cisco Spa500ds Firmware, Cisco Spa500s Firmware, Cisco Spa501g Firmware, Cisco Spa502g Firmware, Cisco Spa504g Firmware, Cisco Spa508g Firmware, Cisco Spa509g Firmware, Cisco Spa512g Firmware, Cisco Spa514g Firmware, Cisco Spa525 Firmware, Cisco Spa525g2 Firmware, Cisco Spa525g Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-20218?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-20218 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-20218 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-20218 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Small Business IP Phones

- [CVE-2019-1923](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1923/): Cisco Small Business SPA500 Series IP Phones Local Command Execution Vulnerability (medium 6.6)
- [CVE-2023-20181](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20181/): Cross-site scripting in Cisco Small Business IP Phones (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-20218 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-20218 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Cisco Small Business IP Phones, published on 3 Aug 2023. 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-2023-20218 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Small Business IP Phones. 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-2023-20218/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20218/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20218
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20218
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-20218

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20218/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.