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CVE-2023-20273· NVD / CVE Program· CNA cisco

A vulnerability in the web UI feature of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to inject commands with the pri

A vulnerability in the web UI feature of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to inject commands with the privileges of root. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted input to the web UI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to inject commands to the underlying operating system with root privileges.

HighCVSS 7.2 · v3.1KEVWeaponized No fix recorded
Published
Oct 25, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
89.6% · 100th percentile
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Report tools

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Action score

85

Now

Patch today or shut off access.

CVSS
28 / 40 · 7.2 / 10
CISA KEV
30 / 30 · Listed
EPSS
27 / 30 · 89.6%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
active
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
7.2
CNA · cisco
7.2
agree

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Actively exploited in the wild

CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Oct 23, 2023. That signals real attacks, not theory.

Remediation deadline for government agencies: Oct 27, 2023.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
ciscoios xe
ciscocatalyst 3650
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48fd-e
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48fd-l
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48fd-s
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48uq
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48uq-e
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48uq-l
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48uq-s
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48ur
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48ur-e
ciscocatalyst 3650-12x48ur-l

and 112 more

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • cisco ios xe16.12 and later · before 16.12.10a
  • cisco ios xe17.9 and later · before 17.9.4a
  • cisco ios xe17.6 and later · before 17.6.6a
  • cisco ios xe17.3 and later · before 17.3.8a
  • cisco ios xe16.1.1
  • cisco ios xe16.1.2
  • cisco ios xe16.1.3
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1a
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1b
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1c
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1d
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1e
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1f
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1g
  • cisco ios xe16.10.1s
  • cisco ios xe16.10.2
  • cisco ios xe16.10.3
  • cisco ios xe16.11.1
  • cisco ios xe16.11.1a

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (cisco). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software

    • 16.1.1, 16.1.2, 16.1.3, 16.2.1, 16.2.2, 16.3.1, 16.3.2, 16.3.3, 16.3.1a, 16.3.4, 16.3.5, 16.3.5b … (+28)affected

Same product

cisco: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-20198Cisco is providing an update for the ongoing investigation into observed exploitation of the web UI feature in Cisco IOS XE Software.KEV
    100Now
  • CVE-2018-0151A vulnerability in the quality of service (QoS) subsystem of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, reKEV
    73This week
  • CVE-2025-20188A vulnerability in the Out-of-Band Access Point (AP) Image Download, the Clean Air Spectral Recording, and the client debug bundles features
    48Plan
  • CVE-2019-12643Cisco REST API Container for IOS XE Software Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
    42Plan
  • CVE-2018-0315A vulnerability in the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) security services of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthe
    41Plan
  • CVE-2017-12229A vulnerability in the REST API of the web-based user interface (web UI) of Cisco IOS XE 3.1 through 16.5 could allow an unauthenticated, re
    41Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×2
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleauxiliary/admin/http/cisco_ios_xe_os_exec_cve_2023_20273Cisco IOX XE unauthenticated OS command executionauxiliary2023-10-16
Metasploit moduleexploit/linux/misc/cisco_ios_xe_rceCisco IOX XE Unauthenticated RCE Chainexploit2023-10-16
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:152023-12-09

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Metasploit-10 d
  2. CISA KEV-3 d
  3. Published
  4. First PoC+44 d
  5. TodaySep 29, 2026+1070 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2023-2023128 days apartA vulnerability in the web UI of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to perform an injection attack against
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2023-20082216 days apartCisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches Secure Boot Bypass Vulnerability
    27Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-78 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

User input is inserted as text into a shell command. The shell may interpret special characters in the input as part of the command.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-78 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const host = req.body.host;exec("ping -c 1 " + host, onResult);

Fixed

ts
const host = req.body.host;if (!/^[a-z0-9.-]{1,253}$/i.test(host)) return res.sendStatus(400);execFile("ping", ["-c", "1", host], onResult);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.

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Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records