CVE-2020-3133
Cisco Email Security Appliance Content Filter Bypass Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the email message scanning of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass configured filters on the device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of incoming emails. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted email message to a recipient protected by the ESA. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass the configured content filters, which could allow malicious content to pass through the device.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Cisco Email Security Appliance Content Filter Bypass Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the email message scanning of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass configured filters on the device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of incoming emails. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted email message to a recipient protected by the ESA. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass the configured content filters, which could allow malicious content to pass through the device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3133- CVSS 3.0
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-24404
A vulnerability in the email message scanning of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass configured filters on the device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of incoming emails. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted email message to a recipient protected by the ESA. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass the configured content filters, which could allow malicious content to pass through the device.
- Record
EUVD-2020-24404- CVSS 3.0
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-g479-6ppw-v22h No score
A vulnerability in the email message scanning of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security...
A vulnerability in the email message scanning of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass configured filters on the device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of incoming emails. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted email message to a recipient protected by the ESA. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass the configured content filters, which could allow malicious content to pass through the device.
- Record
GHSA-g479-6ppw-v22h- Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
A vulnerability in the email message scanning of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass configured filters on the device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of incoming emails. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted email message to a recipient protected by the ESA. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass the configured content filters, which could allow malicious content to pass through the device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3133- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.0
- 5.8 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-3133 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.8) in Cisco Email Security Appliance (esa), published September 23, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.38%, the 72nd percentile. No source names a fixed version.