# CVE-2023-20261: Path traversal in Cisco SD-WAN vManage

> Authenticated attackers can retrieve arbitrary files from the underlying Linux file system via improper parameter validation in the web UI.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 12 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5948-mwp6-h3vh

## What is CVE-2023-20261?

CVE-2023-20261 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst Sd-Wan Manager, published on 18 Oct 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the web UI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to retrieve arbitrary files from an affected system.

 This vulnerability is due to improper validation of parameters that are sent to the web UI. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging in to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager and issuing crafted requests using the web UI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain arbitrary files from the underlying Linux file system of an affected system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must be an authenticated user.

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-20261?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Catalyst Sd-Wan Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-20261?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-20261 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-20261 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-20261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Catalyst Sd-Wan Manager

- [CVE-2026-20182](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20182/): Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authentication Bypass (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-20127](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20127/): Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller and Manager Authentication Bypass (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-76504](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76504/): Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Hex Encoding (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-20245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20245/): Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-20775](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20775/): Cisco SD-WAN Path Traversal (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-20261 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-20261 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst Sd-Wan Manager, published on 18 Oct 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-20261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Catalyst Sd-Wan Manager. 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-2023-20261/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20261/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20261
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20261
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-20261

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20261/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.