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CVE-2023-20198

Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

  • Critical 10.0
  • Exploited: added to CISA KEV 16 Oct 2023

Description

Cisco is providing an update for the ongoing investigation into observed exploitation of the web UI feature in Cisco IOS XE Software. We are updating the list of fixed releases and adding the Software Checker. Our investigation has determined that the actors exploited two previously unknown issues. The attacker first exploited CVE-2023-20198 to gain initial access and issued a privilege 15 command to create a local user and password combination. This allowed the user to log in with normal user access. The attacker then exploited another component of the web UI feature, leveraging the new local user to elevate privilege to root and write the implant to the file system. Cisco has assigned CVE-2023-20273 to this issue. CVE-2023-20198 has been assigned a CVSS Score of 10.0. CVE-2023-20273 has been assigned a CVSS Score of 7.2. Both of these CVEs are being tracked by CSCwh87343.

Key facts

Published
16 Oct 2023
Last changed
21 Oct 2025
Assigned by
cisco
KEV added
16 Oct 2023
KEV fix due
20 Oct 2023
EPSS
99.781% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 99.955% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
SSVC (CISA)
Exploitation: active; Automatable: yes; Technical impact: total

Severity scores

Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.

  • 10.0CVSS 3.1, Criticalfrom the CNA (cisco)CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

What to do

  • Verify that instances of Cisco IOS XE Web UI are in compliance with BOD 23-02 and apply mitigations per vendor instructions. For affected products (Cisco IOS XE Web UI exposed to the internet or to untrusted networks), follow vendor instructions to determine if a system may have been compromised and immediately report positive findings to CISA.CISA KEV required action

Historical context and remediation

This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.

No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.

Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.

Read the original CVE record.

Affected products

VendorProductVersions
CiscoCisco IOS XE Software
  • 16.1.1 (affected)
  • 16.1.2 (affected)
  • 16.1.3 (affected)
  • 16.2.1 (affected)
  • 16.2.2 (affected)
  • 16.3.1 (affected)
  • 16.3.2 (affected)
  • 16.3.3 (affected)
  • 16.3.1a (affected)
  • 16.3.4 (affected)
  • 16.3.5 (affected)
  • 16.3.5b (affected)
  • 16.3.6 (affected)
  • 16.3.7 (affected)
  • 16.3.8 (affected)
  • 16.3.9 (affected)
  • 16.3.10 (affected)
  • 16.3.11 (affected)
  • 16.4.1 (affected)
  • 16.4.2 (affected)
  • 16.4.3 (affected)
  • 16.5.1 (affected)
  • 16.5.1a (affected)
  • 16.5.1b (affected)
  • 16.5.2 (affected)
  • 16.5.3 (affected)
  • 16.6.1 (affected)
  • 16.6.2 (affected)
  • 16.6.3 (affected)
  • 16.6.4 (affected)
  • 16.6.5 (affected)
  • 16.6.4a (affected)
  • 16.6.5a (affected)
  • 16.6.6 (affected)
  • 16.6.7 (affected)
  • 16.6.8 (affected)
  • 16.6.9 (affected)
  • 16.6.10 (affected)
  • 16.7.1 (affected)
  • 16.7.1a (affected)
  • 16.7.1b (affected)
  • 16.7.2 (affected)
  • 16.7.3 (affected)
  • 16.7.4 (affected)
  • 16.8.1 (affected)
  • 16.8.1a (affected)
  • 16.8.1b (affected)
  • 16.8.1s (affected)
  • 16.8.1c (affected)
  • 16.8.1d (affected)
  • 16.8.2 (affected)
  • 16.8.1e (affected)
  • 16.8.3 (affected)
  • 16.9.1 (affected)
  • 16.9.2 (affected)
  • 16.9.1a (affected)
  • 16.9.1b (affected)
  • 16.9.1s (affected)
  • 16.9.3 (affected)
  • 16.9.4 (affected)
  • 16.9.3a (affected)
  • 16.9.5 (affected)
  • 16.9.5f (affected)
  • 16.9.6 (affected)
  • 16.9.7 (affected)
  • 16.9.8 (affected)
  • 16.10.1 (affected)
  • 16.10.1a (affected)
  • 16.10.1b (affected)
  • 16.10.1s (affected)
  • 16.10.1c (affected)
  • 16.10.1e (affected)
  • 16.10.1d (affected)
  • 16.10.2 (affected)
  • 16.10.1f (affected)
  • 16.10.1g (affected)
  • 16.10.3 (affected)
  • 16.11.1 (affected)
  • 16.11.1a (affected)
  • 16.11.1b (affected)
  • 16.11.2 (affected)
  • 16.11.1s (affected)
  • 16.12.1 (affected)
  • 16.12.1s (affected)
  • 16.12.1a (affected)
  • 16.12.1c (affected)
  • 16.12.1w (affected)
  • 16.12.2 (affected)
  • 16.12.1y (affected)
  • 16.12.2a (affected)
  • 16.12.3 (affected)
  • 16.12.8 (affected)
  • 16.12.2s (affected)
  • 16.12.1x (affected)
  • 16.12.1t (affected)
  • 16.12.4 (affected)
  • 16.12.3s (affected)
  • 16.12.3a (affected)
  • 16.12.4a (affected)
  • 16.12.5 (affected)
  • 16.12.6 (affected)
  • 16.12.1z1 (affected)
  • 16.12.5a (affected)
  • 16.12.5b (affected)
  • 16.12.1z2 (affected)
  • 16.12.6a (affected)
  • 16.12.7 (affected)
  • 16.12.9 (affected)
  • 16.12.10 (affected)
  • 17.1.1 (affected)
  • 17.1.1a (affected)
  • 17.1.1s (affected)
  • 17.1.1t (affected)
  • 17.1.3 (affected)
  • 17.2.1 (affected)
  • 17.2.1r (affected)
  • 17.2.1a (affected)
  • 17.2.1v (affected)
  • 17.2.2 (affected)
  • 17.2.3 (affected)
  • 17.3.1 (affected)
  • 17.3.2 (affected)
  • 17.3.3 (affected)
  • 17.3.1a (affected)
  • 17.3.1w (affected)
  • 17.3.2a (affected)
  • 17.3.1x (affected)
  • 17.3.1z (affected)
  • 17.3.4 (affected)
  • 17.3.5 (affected)
  • 17.3.4a (affected)
  • 17.3.6 (affected)
  • 17.3.4b (affected)
  • 17.3.4c (affected)
  • 17.3.5a (affected)
  • 17.3.5b (affected)
  • 17.3.7 (affected)
  • 17.3.8 (affected)
  • 17.4.1 (affected)
  • 17.4.2 (affected)
  • 17.4.1a (affected)
  • 17.4.1b (affected)
  • 17.4.2a (affected)
  • 17.5.1 (affected)
  • 17.5.1a (affected)
  • 17.5.1b (affected)
  • 17.5.1c (affected)
  • 17.6.1 (affected)
  • 17.6.2 (affected)
  • 17.6.1w (affected)
  • 17.6.1a (affected)
  • 17.6.1x (affected)
  • 17.6.3 (affected)
  • 17.6.1y (affected)
  • 17.6.1z (affected)
  • 17.6.3a (affected)
  • 17.6.4 (affected)
  • 17.6.1z1 (affected)
  • 17.6.5 (affected)
  • 17.6.6 (affected)
  • 17.7.1 (affected)
  • 17.7.1a (affected)
  • 17.7.1b (affected)
  • 17.7.2 (affected)
  • 17.10.1 (affected)
  • 17.10.1a (affected)
  • 17.10.1b (affected)
  • 17.8.1 (affected)
  • 17.8.1a (affected)
  • 17.9.1 (affected)
  • 17.9.1w (affected)
  • 17.9.2 (affected)
  • 17.9.1a (affected)
  • 17.9.1x (affected)
  • 17.9.1y (affected)
  • 17.9.3 (affected)
  • 17.9.2a (affected)
  • 17.9.1x1 (affected)
  • 17.9.3a (affected)
  • 17.9.4 (affected)
  • 17.9.1y1 (affected)
  • 17.11.1 (affected)
  • 17.11.1a (affected)
  • 17.12.1 (affected)
  • 17.12.1a (affected)
  • 17.11.99SW (affected)

Timeline

  1. 16 Oct 2023 CVE-2023-20198 added to CISA KEV
  2. 16 Oct 2023 Added to the CISA KEV catalogue
  3. 16 Oct 2023 Published

Weakness

References