More Cisco SMB router ranges have serious security flaws

A white padlock on a dark digital background.
(Image credit: Shutterstock.com)

Cisco has announced fixes for three major vulnerabilities found in four different series of its SMB routers

The flaws, should they be exploited, would have allowed threat actors to launch code remotely, or trigger denial of service attacks. 

Those that are unable to patch immediately are out of luck - there are no workarounds for these flaws, and the only way to mitigate the threat is to apply the fixes.

High-severity flaws galore

In Cisco’s security advisory, the company said its Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers were affected. 

The flaws include CVE-2022-20827, a web filter database update command injection vulnerability with a severity score of 9.0. 

“This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation,” Cisco explains. “An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted input to the web filter database update feature. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands on the underlying operating system with root privileges.”

The second flaw is tracked as CVE-2022-20841, an open plug and play command injection vulnerability with a severity score of 8.3. This one is also due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input, and a successful exploit could allow the attacker to run arbitrary commands on an underlying Linux OS.

Finally, Cisco fixed CVE-2022-20842, a remote code execution and denial of service vulnerability with a severity score of 9.8. 

“A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco RV340, RV340W, RV345, and RV345P Dual WAN Gigabit VPN Routers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause an affected device to restart unexpectedly, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition,” the company explained.

Cisco urged its users to patch immediately, especially due to the fact that the vulnerabilities are dependent on one another. “Exploitation of one of the vulnerabilities may be required to exploit another vulnerability,” the company said. “In addition, a software release that is affected by one of the vulnerabilities may not be affected by the other vulnerabilities.”

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

Read more
A stylized depiction of a padlocked WiFi symbol sitting in the centre of an interlocking vault.
Cisco patches critical security issues, so update now
Representational image depecting cybersecurity protection
Cisco smart licensing system sees critical security flaws exploited
An image of network security icons for a network encircling a digital blue earth.
Industrial networks exposed to attack by faulty Moxa devices
cables going into the back of a broadband router on white background
Netgear urges users to patch major router security issues now
China
Juniper patches security flaws which could have let hackers take over your router
The best free firewall
Sophos hotfixes remote code execution vulnerabilities in Firewall
Latest in Security
Hacker silhouette working on a laptop with North Korean flag on the background
North Korea unveils new military unit targeting AI attacks
An image of network security icons for a network encircling a digital blue earth.
US government warns agencies to make sure their backups are safe from NAKIVO security issue
Laptop computer displaying logo of WordPress, a free and open-source content management system (CMS)
This top WordPress plugin could be hiding a worrying security flaw, so be on your guard
Computer Hacked, System Error, Virus, Cyber attack, Malware Concept. Danger Symbol
Veeam urges users to patch security issues which could allow backup hacks
UK Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer
The UK releases timeline for migration to post-quantum cryptography
Representational image depecting cybersecurity protection
Cisco smart licensing system sees critical security flaws exploited
Latest in News
L-mount alliance
Sirui joins L-Mount Alliance to deliver its superb budget lenses for Leica, DJI, Sigma and Panasonic cameras
Security padlock and circuit board to protect data
Trust in digital services around the world sees a massive drop as security worries continue
Samuel and Romy standing very close together in A24's Babygirl movie
Everything new on Max in April 2025, including A24's Babygirl and The Last of Us season 2
An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging
AMD’s secret weapon against Nvidia seems to be stock – way more RX 9070 GPUs are rumored to be hitting shelves than RTX 5000 models
Hacker silhouette working on a laptop with North Korean flag on the background
North Korea unveils new military unit targeting AI attacks
Seth Milchick and Kier Eagan's animatronic speaking in Severance season 2 episode 10
Apple TV+ announces Severance has been renewed for season 3 after that devastating finale