CVEs / CVE-2023-20273
CVE-2023-20273: Cisco IOS XE Web UI Command Injection Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 23 Oct 2023
- high 7.2 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 92.9% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
Cisco IOS XE contains a command injection vulnerability in the web user interface. When chained with CVE-2023-20198, the attacker can leverage the new local user to elevate privilege to root and write the implant to the file system. Cisco identified CVE-2023-20273 as the vulnerability exploited to deploy the implant. CVE-2021-1435, previously associated with the exploitation events, is no longer believed to be related to this activity.
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.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.1.1 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.1.2 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.1.3 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.2.1 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.2.2 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.1 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.2 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.3 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.1a | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.4 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.5 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.5b | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.6 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.7 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.8 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.9 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.10 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.3.11 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.4.1 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.4.2 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.4.3 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.5.1 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.5.1a | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.5.1b | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.5.2 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.5.3 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.6.1 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.6.2 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.6.3 | — |
| Cisco Cisco IOS XE Software | 16.6.4 | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 23 Oct 2023 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 27 Oct 2023 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | 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. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.2 highCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-78 |
References
- CVE-2023-20273 on NVD
- CVE-2023-20273 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z (cited by CISA)
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z Vendor Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-20273 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.