Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-6406

Cisco IronPort AsyncOS 9.1.2-023, 9.1.2-028, 9.1.2-036, 9.7.2-046, 9.7.2-047, 9.7.2-054, 10.0.0-124, and 10.0.0-125 on Email Security Appliance (ESA) devices, when Enrollment Client before 1.0.2-065 is installed, allows remote attackers to obtain root access via a connection to the testing/debugging interface, aka Bug ID CSCvb26017.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a CRITICAL severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from cisco organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2016-09-22T22:59:22.193

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
Availability Impact: COMPLETE

Exploitability Score

10.0

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-264

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	9.1.2-023	Yes
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	9.1.2-028	Yes
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	9.1.2-036	Yes
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	9.7.2-046	Yes
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	9.7.2-047	Yes
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	9.7.2-054	Yes
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	10.0.0-124	Yes
Operating System	cisco	email_security_appliance_firmware	10.0.0-125	Yes

References

http://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20160922-esa Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93116 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036881 ([email protected])
http://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20160922-esa Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93116 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036881 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For cisco's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.