CVE-2023-20166

Root privilege escalation via crafted CLI parameters

Published May 18, 2023 · Updated Oct 28, 2024

Path traversal in the Cisco Identity Services Engine 3.2 CLI allows local users to escape its restricted shell and gain root privileges. A restricted-shell CLI command fails to validate crafted parameters before using them in a filesystem path, permitting traversal outside the permitted command environment. Exploitation requires an authenticated shell account on the device and grants root control of the underlying operating system.

CVSS severity6.0
Medium
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in the Cisco Identity Services Engine 3.2 CLI allows local users to escape its restricted shell and gain root privileges. A restricted-shell CLI command fails to validate crafted parameters before using them in a filesystem path, permitting traversal outside the permitted command environment. Exploitation requires an authenticated shell account on the device and grants root control of the underlying operating system.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-20166
Published
May 18, 2023
Updated
Oct 28, 2024
Vendor
ClamAV
Product
Cisco Identity Services Engine
Classifications
CWE-24, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 18, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 28, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=n/a

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

ClamAV · Cisco Identity Services Engineversion=n/a

Published CVSS scores

6.0Cisco Systems, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-24Path Traversal: '../filedir'
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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