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Known exploited vulnerability · CISA KEV

CVE-2023-20198: Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Cisco IOS XE Web UI contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the web user interface that could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to create an account with privilege level 15 access. The attacker can then use that account to gain control of the affected device.

CVE-2023-20198

Exploited in the wild. Fix this first.

CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-10-16: attackers are using it right now.

CISA KEV
Listed
Added 2023-10-16 · federal fix-by 2023-10-20
EPSS (30 days)
100%
Higher than 99.9% of CVEs · 2026-11-01
CVSS
No score

What CISA says

Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

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.

Got a whole scan? Scan Hub runs this check on every finding in your Nessus, Qualys, Rapid7 or OpenVAS export and ranks the report by it.

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How to check if you are exposed to CVE-2023-20198

  1. Find every Cisco IOS XE Web UI system you or your clients run, including ones exposed to the internet. Those come first: CISA only lists flaws attackers are already using.
  2. Compare each version with the fixed versions in the vendor advisory below. Where no fix exists yet, apply the vendor’s mitigation or take the system off the internet.
  3. Run a credentialed vulnerability scan to catch the systems you missed, then check that the next scan no longer reports CVE-2023-20198.

US federal agencies had to fix this by 2023-10-20. Everyone else should treat that deadline as a guide: if it has passed, this is overdue.

Timeline

  1. · Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
  2. · Fix-by date for US federal agencies, passed 1,108 days ago

Vendor advisories and fixes

Weakness type

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Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (version 2026.10.30); EPSS data from FIRST.org; CVSS and descriptions from the NIST National Vulnerability Database. Checked 2026-11-01. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

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