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CVE-2023-20273

high

Description

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.

References

https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/28/china_salt_typhoon_alert/

https://www.securityweek.com/chinas-salt-typhoon-hacked-critical-infrastructure-globally-for-years/

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/chinese-tech-firms-salt-typhoon/

https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/salt-typhoon-exploits-cisco-ivanti-palo.html

https://securityaffairs.com/181650/intelligence/nsa-ncsc-and-allies-detailed-ttps-associated-with-chinese-apt-actors-targeting-critical-infrastructure-orgs.html

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/global-salt-typhoon-hacking-campaigns-linked-to-chinese-tech-firms/

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chinese-hackers-breached-national-guard-to-steal-network-configurations/

https://www.securityweek.com/chinas-salt-typhoon-hacked-us-national-guard/

https://securityaffairs.com/180018/intelligence/salt-typhoon-breach-chinese-apt-compromises-u-s-army-national-guard-network.html

https://thehackernews.com/2025/06/china-linked-salt-typhoon-exploits.html

https://securityaffairs.com/179278/apt/china-linked-apt-salt-typhoon-targets-canadian-telecom-companies.html

https://thehackernews.com/2025/02/cisco-confirms-salt-typhoon-exploited.html

https://cyberscoop.com/cisco-talos-salt-typhoon-initial-access/

https://www.securityweek.com/salt-typhoon-targeting-old-cisco-vulnerabilities-in-fresh-telecom-hacks/

https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/salt-typhoon-exploits-cisco-devices-telco-infrastructure

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chinese-hackers-breach-more-us-telecoms-via-unpatched-cisco-routers/

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/13/salt_typhoon_pwned_7_more/

https://therecord.media/china-salt-typhoon-cisco-devices

https://thehackernews.com/2025/02/hackers-exploited-pan-os-flaw-to-deploy.html

https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/cta-cn-2025-0213.pdf

https://cyberscoop.com/salt-typhoon-china-ongoing-telecom-attack-spree/

https://www.securityweek.com/citrix-cisco-fortinet-zero-days-among-2023s-most-exploited-vulnerabilities/

https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa24-317a

https://www.cisa.gov/guidance-addressing-cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-vulnerabilities

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisco-discloses-new-ios-xe-zero-day-exploited-to-deploy-malware-implant/

https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa25-239a

https://www.tenable.com/blog/cve-2023-20198-zero-day-vulnerability-in-cisco-ios-xe-exploited-in-the-wild

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z

Details

Source: Mitre, NVD

Published: 2023-10-25

Updated: 2025-04-02

Known Exploited Vulnerability (KEV)

Risk Information

CVSS v2

Base Score: 8.3

Vector: CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:M/C:C/I:C/A:C

Severity: High

CVSS v3

Base Score: 7.2

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Severity: High

EPSS

EPSS: 0.91736

Vulnerability Watch

Tenable Research has classified this CVE under the following Vulnerability Watch classification, which includes active and historical (inactive) classifications. You can learn more about these classifications on our blog.

Vulnerability Being Monitored