Security Digest · Vulnerability record · Known exploited
CVE-2024-20439: Cisco Smart Licensing Utility Static Credential Vulnerability
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV). A vulnerability in Cisco Smart Licensing Utility (CSLU) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log into an affected system by using a static administrative credential.
CISA KEV · added 2025-03-31 CVSS 9.8 Critical EPSS 97.1% · p99.9
Should you act?
Exploited: patch now if you run it
CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Yes, if you run Cisco Smart Licensing Utility. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-03-31, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2025-04-21; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
- EPSS 97.1%, percentile 99.9: FIRST’s model estimates a 97.1% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 99.9% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
What it is
A vulnerability in Cisco Smart Licensing Utility (CSLU) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log into an affected system by using a static administrative credential. This vulnerability is due to an undocumented static user credential for an administrative account. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the static credentials to login to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to login to the affected system with administrative rights over the CSLU application API.
CISA’s summary
Cisco Smart Licensing Utility contains a static credential vulnerability that allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected system and gain administrative credentials.
Weakness type: CWE-912.
Product: Cisco Smart Licensing Utility · Assigned by: cisco · Published: 2024-09-04
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco | Cisco Smart License Utility | 2.1.0, 2.0.0, 2.2.0 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| cisco | 3.1 | 9.8 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: added 2025-03-31; federal due date 2025-04-21. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
- CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 97.09% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 99.9.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by cisco
- — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- Listed in CISA KEV notes (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com) sec.cloudapps.cisco.com
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2024-20439 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2024-20439 nvd.nist.gov
Government
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