CVE-2023-20273
Cisco / Cisco IOS XE Web UI
Cisco IOS XE Web UI Command Injection Vulnerability
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.
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.
Notes: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20273
Metadata
| Added to KEV | 2023-10-23 |
| Remediation due | 2023-10-27 |
| Ransomware use | Unknown |
| CWEs | CWE-78 |
| Ingested | 2026-04-24 15:03:13 |
Cross-mesh regulatory overlay
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