How severe is CVE-2023-20198?

CVE-2023-20198 has a CVSS score of 10/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which products are affected by CVE-2023-20198?

Affected package information for CVE-2023-20198 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I patch CVE-2023-20198?

Apply the cisco ios xe security patch or hotfix for CVE-2023-20198 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.

How do I detect CVE-2023-20198 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every cisco ios xe deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-20198 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2023-20198?

O3 detects and blocks CVE-2023-20198 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Is CVE-2023-20198 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 32 known exploit references for CVE-2023-20198, including 20 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

Is CVE-2023-20198 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2023-20198 (Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2023-10-16. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2023-10-20. The required action was: 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. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2023-20198?

CVE-2023-20198 is classified as CWE-420 (CWE-420). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2023-20198?

CVE-2023-20198 affects cisco ios xe; rockwellautomation allen-bradley stratix 5200 firmware; rockwellautomation allen-bradley stratix 5800 firmware. Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2023-20198?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2023-20198, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2023-20198 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-20198 was published on October 16, 2023 and was last updated on June 17, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2023-10-16 — agencies required to remediate by 2023-10-20

CVE-2023-20198

CRITICAL

CVE-2023-20198 is a critical-severity (CVSS 10) CWE-420 vulnerability in cisco ios xe. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-10-16) — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. O3 Security detects and blocks CVE-2023-20198 exploitation at runtime via eBPF exploit-chain detection and L7 egress monitoring, even on unpatched systems.

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…

Published

Oct 16, 2023

Updated

Jun 17, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

32 known

Description

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.

Affected Products

3 products · 6 configurations

ios xecisco

≥ 17.9 && < 17.9.4a

range

allen-bradley stratix 5200 firmwarerockwellautomation

< 17.12.02

range

allen-bradley stratix 5800 firmwarerockwellautomation

< 17.12.02

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.