Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
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
What happened
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.
CISA lists it as exploited, added 16 Oct 2023.
Does it affect you
Names Cisco IOS XE. Enter the product and version you run to place it against the affected range the vendor published.
What to do
- Follow the vendor advisory for the fixed release and any interim mitigation.
sec.cloudapps.cisco.com - 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.gov
CISA’s notes for this entry:
Affected, as published to NVD
- cisco-iosxe
- Cisco IOS XE: 16.12 up to the fix in 16.12.10a
The record
- NVD status
- Analyzed
- Published
- 16 Oct 2023, last modified 17 Jun 2026 (NVD)
- Severity
- CVSS 3.1 base score 10.0, Critical — computed here from the vector; NVD states 10.0.
- Vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Weakness
- CWE-420 (NVD; names by MITRE)
- Exploitation
- Listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue since 16 Oct 2023; federal remediation due 20 Oct 2023. CISA entry
- Vendor
- Cisco · IOS XE Web UI (CISA)
References on the NVD record
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4zMitigationVendor Advisory
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-20198US Government Resource
Sources
The verdict above is computed from the products and versions you entered and the affected ranges the vendor published to NVD. It does not inspect your environment, and this site never reports a product as unaffected: why.