A recently discovered vulnerability in Cisco Common Services Platform Collector's (CSPC) web-based management interface could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to perform cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against a user utilizing this interface. The vulnerability stems from an insufficient validation of user-supplied data by the affected system's web-based management interface.
By exploiting this vulnerability, malicious actors could gain access to sensitive information or execute arbitrary script code within the context of the affected interface. In order to exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must possess at least a low-privileged account on the affected device.
Cisco has yet to release any software updates to address this particular vulnerability, and as of now, no workarounds have been identified. This blog post will provide a detailed overview of the vulnerability, including a code snippet, links to original references, and an explanation of the exploit details.
Vulnerability Details
CVE ID: CVE-2025-20168
Impact: Allows authenticated, remote attackers to execute cross-site scripting attacks
Affected Component: Web-based management interface of Cisco Common Services Platform Collector (CSPC)
Cause: Insufficient validation of user-supplied input
Status: No software updates available; no workarounds identified
Exploit Details
An attacker with a low-privileged account can inject malicious code into specific pages of the web-based management interface by exploiting the insufficient validation of user-supplied input. The sample code snippet below demonstrates how an attacker might inject malicious code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<script>
/* Malicious script here */
</script>
</head>
<body>
...
</body>
</html>
This malicious code will be executed when a user visits the affected pages of the interface, granting the attacker access to sensitive browser-based information and the ability to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the affected interface.
For more information about this vulnerability, you can visit the following original references
- Cisco Security Advisory: https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20161026-cspc-xs (note that this link may change once a software update is released to address the issue)
- CVE Details: https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2025-20168/
- NIST National Vulnerability Database: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20168
Conclusion
It is essential for organizations to be aware of vulnerabilities such as CVE-2025-20168 in order to protect their sensitive data and systems. This XSS vulnerability in Cisco Common Services Platform Collector's web-based management interface poses a threat to users, as it grants attackers the capability to execute malicious script code within the affected interface and access sensitive information. Until Cisco releases a software update that addresses this vulnerability, users are urged to remain vigilant and follow best practices for secure browsing and code sanitization when utilizing the web-based management interface.
Timeline
Published on: 01/08/2025 17:15:17 UTC