Cisco · Cisco IOS XE Web UI

CVE-2023-20273

Cisco IOS XE Web UI Command Injection Vulnerability

Evidence

Source & freshness

Full source status →

CISA KEV catalog Core KEV record

CVE, vendor/product, CISA dates, ransomware status, description, required action, and notes.

Catalog 2026.07.24 · Retrieved 2026-07-25 20:49 UTC Open official CISA feed ↗

MITRE CWE catalog CWE context

CWE names and plain-language weakness descriptions. CISA supplies the CWE assignment itself.

Retrieved 2026-07-25 20:59 UTC Open official MITRE CWE catalog ↗

National Vulnerability Database NVD technical context

CVSS metrics, NVD timeline, and related NVD record data are stored locally.

Retrieved Jul 25, 2026, 08:49 PM UTC Open NVD record ↗

CISA KEV record

CISA date added: 2023-10-23
CISA due date: 2023-10-27
Known ransomware use: Unknown

NVD risk context

7.2 HIGH

CVSS is a technical severity score. CISA’s KEV status remains the evidence that this vulnerability is known to be exploited.

View NVD record ↗

Attack vector

Network

The vulnerable service can be reached remotely over a network.

Attack complexity

Low

Exploitation does not require unusual conditions beyond normal attacker control.

Privileges required

High

The attacker needs substantial privileges before exploiting the issue.

User interaction

None

No action by another user is required.

Description

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.

NVD reference index

Vendor and remediation references

NVD has tagged these sources as vendor advisories, patches, mitigations, or release notes.

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z ↗
Vendor Advisory NVD reference source: psirt@cisco.com · Also linked in CISA notes

Other NVD references (1)

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-20273 ↗
US Government Resource NVD reference source: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

MITRE CWE context

CWE classification

CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.

View official MITRE CWE details ↗

NVD record timing

NVD record timeline

These dates describe NVD’s record, not CISA’s KEV addition or remediation due date.

NVD published: Oct 25, 2023, 06:17 PM UTC
NVD last updated: Jun 17, 2026, 05:30 AM UTC

Advanced: view the technical CVSS vector

This standardized code is intended for security tools and technical analysts. The plain-language risk summary above explains its main points.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

View NVD record ↗

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