Exploited CVEs / Cisco / CVE-2023-20198
CVE-2023-20198
Actively exploited Cisco IOS XE Web UI vulnerability, Critical severity, CVSS 10.0. Added to the CISA KEV catalog 2023-10-16.
All about CVE-2023-20198: the Senserva AI read, the CISA required action and deadline, the official fix, and the questions admins ask.
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Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. Exploitation in the wild is confirmed by CISA, not predicted. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2023-10-20 (that deadline has passed); treat that date as the outer bound for your own environment. The fix is in the vendor advisory: Cisco Security Advisories (PSIRT), linked below.
Risk summary
Senserva AI Opinion for CVE-2023-20198
A perfect CVSS 10.0 and a 100% EPSS score: this Cisco IOS XE web UI flaw lets a remote, unauthenticated attacker create a privilege level 15 account and take full control of the device. Mass exploitation compromised internet-exposed IOS XE devices at scale after its October 2023 KEV listing, usually followed by the companion command injection to plant an implant. If a router or switch had its web UI reachable from the internet, assume it was probed.
Do this: Disable the IOS XE web UI on untrusted interfaces, patch, and check the local user database for accounts you did not create.
AI-generated from public data, 2026-07-07. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting.
Senserva AI Opinion and rich prompt for CVE-2023-20198
Copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot. The facts are included, sourced from this page.
Full tracking and change history for CVE-2023-20198
Published and last-revised dates are authoritative, from Microsoft MSRC (or the CISA KEV date-added). Senserva additionally records day-to-day changes from 2026-07-07, refreshed several times a day; the change count reflects that forward-only tracking.
CISA required action
Federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date: 2023-10-20 (past due).
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.
Official fix for CVE-2023-20198
The authoritative fix and affected-version list are published by the vendor. Find the IOS XE Web UI advisory on Cisco Security Advisories (PSIRT).
Common questions about CVE-2023-20198
Is CVE-2023-20198 actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2023-20198 was added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2023-10-16, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed, not predicted. Its EPSS 30-day exploitation probability is 100%.
What is the CISA deadline and required action for CVE-2023-20198?
CISA set the federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date at 2023-10-20, which has passed; treat any unremediated system as overdue. The verbatim 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 fixes CVE-2023-20198?
The authoritative fix is in the vendor advisory: see Cisco Security Advisories (PSIRT) for the patched IOS XE Web UI versions and any workarounds. KEV listing makes this a fix-first item: patch it ahead of higher-CVSS issues nobody is exploiting.
Can I ask my own AI about CVE-2023-20198?
Yes. This page includes a free, ready-to-paste AI prompt containing CVE-2023-20198's key facts: severity, CVSS, EPSS, the KEV date, the CISA due date, and the required action. Copy it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot; the data is refreshed three times a day (5 AM, 12:30 PM, and 7 PM US Central).
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Authoritative references
Every actively exploited CVE, searchable with due dates and CSV export: the exploited-CVE tracker. The newest additions: exploited this week.
