# CVE-2024-20253: Deserialization in Cisco Packaged Contact Center Enterprise

> Unauthenticated remote attackers can execute arbitrary code and gain root access on Cisco Unified Communications products via crafted messages.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 Jan 2024
- **Updated:** 29 May 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gxh9-cf3g-3v7f

## What is CVE-2024-20253?

CVE-2024-20253 is a critical unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, published on 26 Jan 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in multiple Cisco Unified Communications and Contact Center Solutions products could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to the improper processing of user-provided data that is being read into memory. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted message to a listening port of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with the privileges of the web services user. With access to the underlying operating system, the attacker could also establish root access on the affected device.

Weakness: CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-20253?

It affects 5 products.


Products: Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Im and Presence Service, Cisco Unified Contact Center Express, Cisco Unity Connection, Cisco Virtualized Voice Browser.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-20253?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-20253 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-20253 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20253 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Unified Communications Manager

- [CVE-2026-20230](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20230/): Cisco Unified Communications Manager Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (high 8.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-20045](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20045/): Cisco Unified Communications Products Code Injection (high 8.2, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-20309](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20309/): Cisco Unified Communications Manager Static SSH Credentials Vulnerability (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2011-1643](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-1643/): Information disclosure in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-0632](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0632/): Information disclosure in n/a (critical 9.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-20253 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-20253 is a critical unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, published on 26 Jan 2024. 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-2024-20253 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Unified Communications 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-2024-20253/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20253/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-20253
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20253
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-20253

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20253/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.