#VU82065 Improper Privilege Management in Cisco IOS XE - CVE-2023-20198

Vulnerability identifier: #VU82065

Vulnerability risk: Critical

CVSSv4.0: 9.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Red]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-20198

CWE-ID: CWE-269

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
Cisco IOS XE
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Cisco Systems, Inc

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to compromise the affected system.

The vulnerability exists due to improper privilege management in the web UI feature. A remote non-authenticated attacker can send a specially crafted HTTP request to the affected device and create an account with privilege level 15 access.

Note, the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Cisco IOS XE: before 16.12.10a, 17.3.8a, 17.6.6a, 17.9.4a, 16.12.10a, 16.12.10a, 16.12.10a, 16.12.10a

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External links
https://bst.cloudapps.cisco.com/bugsearch/bug/CSCwh87343
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z
https://www.horizon3.ai/cisco-ios-xe-cve-2023-20198-theory-crafting/
https://www.horizon3.ai/cisco-ios-xe-cve-2023-20198-deep-dive-and-poc/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.