Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-6458


A vulnerability in the content filtering functionality of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security Appliances could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass content filters configured on an affected device. Email that should have been filtered could instead be forwarded by the device. This vulnerability affects all releases prior to the first fixed release of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security Appliances, both virtual and hardware appliances, if the software is configured to use a content filter for email attachments that are protected or encrypted. More Information: CSCva52546. Known Affected Releases: 10.0.0-125 9.7.1-066.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5, 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 integrity (unauthorized modifications), 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

2016-11-19T03:03:01.383

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

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

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: NONE
  • Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
  • Availability Impact: NONE
Exploitability Score

10.0

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-20

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Operating System cisco email_security_appliance_firmware 9.7.1-066 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 9.9.6-026 Yes
Operating System cisco email_security_appliance_firmware 9.9_base 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

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.