CVE-2023-20101VulnerabilityPublished 4 Oct 2023Updated 16 Dec 2025

CVE-2023-20101: Cisco Emergency Responder · Use of Hard-coded Credentials

Affects Cisco Emergency ResponderSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.8Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 2.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 85% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Oct 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Immediate network segmentation: Isolate Cisco Emergency Responder devices from untrusted networks and restrict access to trusted management networks only. 2. Implement strict firewall rules to block unauthorized inbound traffic to the affected devices, especially from the internet. 3. Monitor network traffic and system logs for any unauthorized login attempts or suspicious activity targeting the root account. 4. Apply virtual patching via intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to detect and block attempts to exploit the hard-coded credentials. 5. Engage with Cisco support for any available patches, updates, or official mitigation guidance and apply them as soon as released. 6. Consider deploying multi-factor authentication (MFA) on management interfaces if supported, to add an additional layer of security. 7. Conduct thorough audits of all Cisco Emergency Responder devices to identify affected versions and replace or upgrade devices running vulnerable software. 8. Develop and test incident response plans specifically addressing potential compromise of emergency communication systems. 9. Limit root account usage and consider disabling remote root login if possible, or changing default management protocols to more secure alternatives. 10. Educate IT and security teams about this vulnerability to ensure rapid detection and response.

Description

CVE-2023-20101 is a critical vulnerability in Cisco Emergency Responder version 12.5(1)SU4 that involves hard-coded root credentials. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this flaw to log in as root using static, unchangeable credentials embedded in the system. This allows full control over the affected device, enabling arbitrary command execution with root privileges. The vulnerability stems from development-only static credentials that were never removed or disabled in production releases. The CVSS score is 9.8, reflecting the high impact and ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the risk is severe given the critical nature of the affected systems. Cisco Emergency Responder is widely used in enterprise telephony and emergency call management, making this vulnerability particularly impactful. European organizations relying on Cisco telephony infrastructure could face significant confidentiality, integrity, and availability risks if exploited.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2023-20101 is significant due to the critical role Cisco Emergency Responder plays in managing emergency call routing and telephony infrastructure. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized root access, allowing attackers to disrupt emergency communication services, manipulate call routing, intercept sensitive communications, or use the compromised system as a foothold for further network intrusion. This could result in severe operational disruptions, regulatory non-compliance (especially under GDPR and NIS Directive), reputational damage, and potential harm to public safety services. Organizations in sectors such as healthcare, government, public safety, and critical infrastructure are particularly at risk. The ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the likelihood of attacks, especially in environments where these devices are exposed to untrusted networks or insufficiently segmented. The potential for widespread impact is high given the criticality of emergency communication systems and the privileged access gained through this vulnerability.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-cer-priv-esc-B9t3hqk9 (opens in a new tab)

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 23 Dec 2025, 18:22 UTC

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