CVE-2023-20198: Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (Pentest Lab Guide)
CVE-2023-20198: Technical Deep-Dive (Auto Refreshed)
Generated on 2026-03-26T00:43:20.040Z. This file is automatically regenerated every 30 minutes by the CVE AI enrichment job using web sources (NVD, MITRE, CISA KEV, GitHub).
Executive Technical Summary
Cisco is providing an update for the ongoing investigation into observed exploitation of the web UI feature in Cisco IOS XE Software. We are updating the list of fixed releases and adding the Software Checker. Our investigation has determined that the actors exploited two previously unknown issues. The attacker first exploited CVE-2023-20198 to gain initial access and issued a privilege 15 command to create a local user and password combination. This allowed the user to log in with normal user access. The attacker then exploited another component of the web UI feature, leveraging the new local user to elevate privilege to root and write the implant to the file system. Cisco has assigned CVE-2023-20273 to this issue. CVE-2023-20198 has been assigned a CVSS Score of 10.0. CVE-2023-20273 has been assigned a CVSS Score of 7.2. Both of these CVEs are being tracked by CSCwh87343.
- Context preserved from previous revision: Cisco is providing an update for the ongoing investigation into observed exploitation of the web UI feature in Cisco IOS XE Software. We are updating the list of fixed releases and adding the Software Checker. Our investigation has determined that the actors exploited two previously unknown issues. The attacker first exploited CVE-2023-20198 to gain initial access and issued a privilege 15 command to create a local user and password combination. This allowed the user to log in with normal user access. The attacker then exploited another component of the web UI feature, leveraging the new local user to elevate privilege to root and write the implant to the file system. Cisco has assigned CVE-2023-20273 to this issue. CVE-2023-20198 has been assigned a CVSS Score of 10.0. CVE-2023-20273 has been assigned a CVSS Score of 7.2. Both of these CVEs are being tracked by CSCwh87343. 1. Use only isolated environments and systems you own or are explicitly authorized to test.
Technical Details
- CVE: CVE-2023-20198
- KEV date added: 2023-10-16
- KEV due date: 2023-10-20
- NVD published: 2023-10-16
- NVD modified: 2025-10-28
- MITRE modified: 2025-10-21
- CVSS base score: 10
- CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CVSS exploitability score: 3.9
- CVSS impact score: 6
- Attack vector: Network
- Attack complexity: Low
- Privileges required: None
- User interaction: None
- Scope: Changed
- Confidentiality impact: High
- Integrity impact: High
- Availability impact: High
Versions and Products Impacted
- rockwellautomation / allen-bradley stratix 5200 firmware (versions: < 17.12.02)
- rockwellautomation / allen-bradley stratix 5800 firmware (versions: < 17.12.02)
- cisco / ios xe (versions: >= 16.12, < 16.12.10a)
- cisco / ios xe (versions: >= 17.3, < 17.3.8a)
- cisco / ios xe (versions: >= 17.6, < 17.6.6a)
- cisco / ios xe (versions: >= 17.9, < 17.9.4a)
- Cisco / Cisco IOS XE Software (versions: 16.1.1, 16.1.2, 16.1.3, 16.2.1, 16.2.2, 16.3.1, 16.3.2, 16.3.3, 16.3.1a, 16.3.4)
Weakness Classification
- CWE-420
- NVD-CWE-Other
Repositories for Lab Validation (Public Examples)
- Threekiii/CVE | stars: 161 | updated: 2026-03-23 | https://github.com/Threekiii/CVE
Notes: 一个 CVE 漏洞预警知识库，无 exp/poc，部分包含修复方案。A knowledge base of CVE security vulnerability, no PoCs/exploits. - muchdogesec/sigma2stix | stars: 12 | updated: 2026-03-19 | https://github.com/muchdogesec/sigma2stix
Notes: ⚠️ ARCHIVED**: This repository is no longer actively maintained. All Sigma rules are now managed and available in SIEM Rules - zulloper/cve-poc | stars: 8 | updated: 2026-03-26 | https://github.com/zulloper/cve-poc
Notes: CVE POC repo 자동 수집기
People and Organizations Mentioned
- cisco
- IOS XE Web UI
- Threekiii
- muchdogesec
- zulloper
Practical Defensive Validation (Authorized Only)
- Use only isolated environments and systems you own or are explicitly authorized to test.
- Snapshot infrastructure before validation and preserve baseline logs (EDR, SIEM, OS, app).
- Inventory rockwellautomation / allen-bradley stratix 5200 firmware (versions: < 17.12.02) assets and confirm exact vulnerable versions with automated checks.
- Patch in staged environments and validate closure with scanners + service health checks.
- Map detections to MITRE ATT&CK tactics relevant to your environment and tune alert quality.
References
- NVD record: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20198
- MITRE CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-20198
- CISA KEV Catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- CISA KEV JSON feed: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json
- KEV notes: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ios-nx-os-software/ios-xe-dublin-17121/221128-software-fix-availability-for-cisco-ios.html; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20198
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-20198
- Repository example: https://github.com/Threekiii/CVE
- Repository example: https://github.com/muchdogesec/sigma2stix
- Repository example: https://github.com/zulloper/cve-poc
This content is for defensive security training and authorized validation only.