CVE-2023-20273: 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.
| Vendor | Cisco |
|---|---|
| Product | Cisco IOS XE Web UI |
| Date added to KEV | 2023-10-23 |
| Due date (BOD 22-01) | 2023-10-27 |
| Known ransomware campaign use | Unknown |
| CWE | CWE-78 |
| 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. |
What to do
- Identify every instance of Cisco Cisco IOS XE Web UI in your environment (asset inventory, EDR, vulnerability scanner).
- Apply CISA's 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.
- Federal civilian agencies must act by 2023-10-27 under BOD 22-01; other organizations can use the same date as a target.
- Check the vendor advisory and NVD entry linked below for affected versions, then record the fix in your change log.
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