Cisco Systems

Overview

Cisco Systems is the world's largest networking and cybersecurity company, headquartered in San Jose, California. Founded in 1984, Cisco provides enterprise networking hardware, cloud security, collaboration tools, and observability platforms. On third-party websites, Cisco's presence is most commonly encountered through three distinct product lines: Webex (cloud video conferencing and team collaboration), Duo Security (multi-factor authentication, acquired 2018), and Cisco Umbrella (DNS-layer security and threat intelligence). Each serves a different operational purpose.

What This Script Does

Webex Meeting and Webinar Embeds

Webex embeds load a JavaScript widget from webex.com or cisco.webex.com that renders an in-page meeting joining interface. The widget authenticates the visitor against the meeting registration and streams audio/video via WebRTC. Cookies set: webex_session (session authentication token, expires at session end); webex_uid (returning participant identifier, expiry 90 days). API calls go to webexapis.com for meeting state and media.webex.com for media relay.

Duo Security MFA Scripts

Duo's authentication script loads from api-<account-id>.duosecurity.com and renders an MFA challenge prompt within a login flow. The script communicates with Duo's cloud service to verify the second factor (push notification, TOTP, SMS, or hardware key). Cookies set: duo_sid (short-lived session validation token for the MFA flow, expires in minutes). No persistent tracking cookies are set. Duo is now a sub-processor within Cisco's security portfolio and operates under Cisco's data processing agreements.

Cisco Umbrella DNS Security

Umbrella's roaming client or network agent performs DNS-level threat intelligence filtering. When deployed on enterprise devices, it intercepts DNS queries and compares them against Cisco Talos threat intelligence feeds to block malicious domains. On websites, the Umbrella VA (Virtual Appliance) reporting script may load from umbrella.cisco.com to submit DNS policy compliance telemetry. No user-facing cookies are set.

Per-session data collected (Webex):

• Meeting ID and participant display name
• Join time, leave time, and session duration
• Network quality metrics (packet loss, jitter, bandwidth)
• Device type and operating system
• IP address for routing optimisation

Consent & Compliance

Cisco's web-facing scripts are classified under functional and essential categories depending on the product. Webex meeting embeds are functional — they deliver a communication service explicitly requested by the visitor. Duo Security is essential — it provides authentication security required to access a protected resource. Cisco Umbrella operates at the network/DNS layer as an essential security control. Under GDPR, authentication and security processing qualify as legitimate interest (Recital 47) or strictly necessary for service delivery. Session cookies for authentication and meeting management are functionally necessary under ePrivacy. Cisco participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and maintains EU Standard Contractual Clauses across its product portfolio.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

No. Cisco's web-facing scripts provide essential security authentication (Duo) and functional communication services (Webex). They serve purposes explicitly initiated by the user and do not require consent to load.