CVE-2023-20198Known exploitationPublic exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated privilege-15 account creation via path validation bypass

Published Oct 16, 2023 · Updated Oct 21, 2025

Privilege escalation in the Cisco IOS XE Software web UI allows remote attackers to create privilege-15 local accounts without authentication. Improper path validation lets crafted requests bypass Nginx filtering and reach a privileged WSMA SOAP endpoint without authentication. The HTTP or HTTPS server feature must be enabled; the resulting account grants full administrative control of the device.

CVSS severity10.0
Critical
EPSS probability99.57%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationReported
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in the Cisco IOS XE Software web UI allows remote attackers to create privilege-15 local accounts without authentication. Improper path validation lets crafted requests bypass Nginx filtering and reach a privileged WSMA SOAP endpoint without authentication. The HTTP or HTTPS server feature must be enabled; the resulting account grants full administrative control of the device.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-20198
Published
Oct 16, 2023
Updated
Oct 21, 2025
Vendor
ClamAV
Product
Cisco IOS XE Software
Classifications
CWE-420, T1136.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 16, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=16.10.1
  2. Affected versionversion=16.10.1a
  3. Affected versionversion=16.10.1b
  4. Affected versionversion=16.10.1c
  5. Affected versionversion=16.10.1d
  6. Affected versionversion=16.10.1e
  7. Affected versionversion=16.10.1f
  8. Affected versionversion=16.10.1g
  9. Affected versionversion=16.10.1s
  10. Affected versionversion=16.10.2
  11. Affected versionversion=16.10.3
  12. Affected versionversion=16.1.1
  13. Affected versionversion=16.11.1
  14. Affected versionversion=16.11.1a
  15. Affected versionversion=16.11.1b
  16. Affected versionversion=16.11.1s
  17. Affected versionversion=16.11.2
  18. Affected versionversion=16.1.2
  19. Affected versionversion=16.12.1
  20. Affected versionversion=16.12.10
  21. Affected versionversion=16.12.1a
  22. Affected versionversion=16.12.1c
  23. Affected versionversion=16.12.1s
  24. Affected versionversion=16.12.1t
  25. Affected versionversion=16.12.1w
  26. Affected versionversion=16.12.1x
  27. Affected versionversion=16.12.1y
  28. Affected versionversion=16.12.1z1
  29. Affected versionversion=16.12.1z2
  30. Affected versionversion=16.12.2
  31. Affected versionversion=16.12.2a
  32. Affected versionversion=16.12.2s
  33. Affected versionversion=16.12.3
  34. Affected versionversion=16.12.3a
  35. Affected versionversion=16.12.3s
  36. Affected versionversion=16.12.4
  37. Affected versionversion=16.12.4a
  38. Affected versionversion=16.12.5
  39. Affected versionversion=16.12.5a
  40. Affected versionversion=16.12.5b
  41. Affected versionversion=16.12.6
  42. Affected versionversion=16.12.6a
  43. Affected versionversion=16.12.7
  44. Affected versionversion=16.12.8
  45. Affected versionversion=16.12.9
  46. Affected versionversion=16.1.3
  47. Affected versionversion=16.2.1
  48. Affected versionversion=16.2.2
  49. Affected versionversion=16.3.1
  50. Affected versionversion=16.3.10
  51. Affected versionversion=16.3.11
  52. Affected versionversion=16.3.1a
  53. Affected versionversion=16.3.2
  54. Affected versionversion=16.3.3
  55. Affected versionversion=16.3.4
  56. Affected versionversion=16.3.5
  57. Affected versionversion=16.3.5b
  58. Affected versionversion=16.3.6
  59. Affected versionversion=16.3.7
  60. Affected versionversion=16.3.8
  61. Affected versionversion=16.3.9
  62. Affected versionversion=16.4.1
  63. Affected versionversion=16.4.2
  64. Affected versionversion=16.4.3
  65. Affected versionversion=16.5.1
  66. Affected versionversion=16.5.1a
  67. Affected versionversion=16.5.1b
  68. Affected versionversion=16.5.2
  69. Affected versionversion=16.5.3
  70. Affected versionversion=16.6.1
  71. Affected versionversion=16.6.10
  72. Affected versionversion=16.6.2
  73. Affected versionversion=16.6.3
  74. Affected versionversion=16.6.4
  75. Affected versionversion=16.6.4a
  76. Affected versionversion=16.6.5
  77. Affected versionversion=16.6.5a
  78. Affected versionversion=16.6.6
  79. Affected versionversion=16.6.7
  80. Affected versionversion=16.6.8
  81. Affected versionversion=16.6.9
  82. Affected versionversion=16.7.1
  83. Affected versionversion=16.7.1a
  84. Affected versionversion=16.7.1b
  85. Affected versionversion=16.7.2
  86. Affected versionversion=16.7.3
  87. Affected versionversion=16.7.4
  88. Affected versionversion=16.8.1
  89. Affected versionversion=16.8.1a
  90. Affected versionversion=16.8.1b
  91. Affected versionversion=16.8.1c
  92. Affected versionversion=16.8.1d
  93. Affected versionversion=16.8.1e
  94. Affected versionversion=16.8.1s
  95. Affected versionversion=16.8.2
  96. Affected versionversion=16.8.3
  97. Affected versionversion=16.9.1
  98. Affected versionversion=16.9.1a
  99. Affected versionversion=16.9.1b
  100. Affected versionversion=16.9.1s
  101. Affected versionversion=16.9.2
  102. Affected versionversion=16.9.3
  103. Affected versionversion=16.9.3a
  104. Affected versionversion=16.9.4
  105. Affected versionversion=16.9.5
  106. Affected versionversion=16.9.5f
  107. Affected versionversion=16.9.6
  108. Affected versionversion=16.9.7
  109. Affected versionversion=16.9.8
  110. Affected versionversion=17.10.1
  111. Affected versionversion=17.10.1a
  112. Affected versionversion=17.10.1b
  113. Affected versionversion=17.1.1
  114. Affected versionversion=17.11.1
  115. Affected versionversion=17.11.1a
  116. Affected versionversion=17.11.99SW
  117. Affected versionversion=17.1.1a
  118. Affected versionversion=17.1.1s
  119. Affected versionversion=17.1.1t
  120. Affected versionversion=17.12.1
  121. Affected versionversion=17.12.1a
  122. Affected versionversion=17.1.3
  123. Affected versionversion=17.2.1
  124. Affected versionversion=17.2.1a
  125. Affected versionversion=17.2.1r
  126. Affected versionversion=17.2.1v
  127. Affected versionversion=17.2.2
  128. Affected versionversion=17.2.3
  129. Affected versionversion=17.3.1
  130. Affected versionversion=17.3.1a
  131. Affected versionversion=17.3.1w
  132. Affected versionversion=17.3.1x
  133. Affected versionversion=17.3.1z
  134. Affected versionversion=17.3.2
  135. Affected versionversion=17.3.2a
  136. Affected versionversion=17.3.3
  137. Affected versionversion=17.3.4
  138. Affected versionversion=17.3.4a
  139. Affected versionversion=17.3.4b
  140. Affected versionversion=17.3.4c
  141. Affected versionversion=17.3.5
  142. Affected versionversion=17.3.5a
  143. Affected versionversion=17.3.5b
  144. Affected versionversion=17.3.6
  145. Affected versionversion=17.3.7
  146. Affected versionversion=17.3.8
  147. Affected versionversion=17.4.1
  148. Affected versionversion=17.4.1a
  149. Affected versionversion=17.4.1b
  150. Affected versionversion=17.4.2
  151. Affected versionversion=17.4.2a
  152. Affected versionversion=17.5.1
  153. Affected versionversion=17.5.1a
  154. Affected versionversion=17.5.1b
  155. Affected versionversion=17.5.1c
  156. Affected versionversion=17.6.1
  157. Affected versionversion=17.6.1a
  158. Affected versionversion=17.6.1w
  159. Affected versionversion=17.6.1x
  160. Affected versionversion=17.6.1y
  161. Affected versionversion=17.6.1z
  162. Affected versionversion=17.6.1z1
  163. Affected versionversion=17.6.2
  164. Affected versionversion=17.6.3
  165. Affected versionversion=17.6.3a
  166. Affected versionversion=17.6.4
  167. Affected versionversion=17.6.5
  168. Affected versionversion=17.6.6
  169. Affected versionversion=17.7.1
  170. Affected versionversion=17.7.1a
  171. Affected versionversion=17.7.1b
  172. Affected versionversion=17.7.2
  173. Affected versionversion=17.8.1
  174. Affected versionversion=17.8.1a
  175. Affected versionversion=17.9.1
  176. Affected versionversion=17.9.1a
  177. Affected versionversion=17.9.1w
  178. Affected versionversion=17.9.1x
  179. Affected versionversion=17.9.1x1
  180. Affected versionversion=17.9.1y
  181. Affected versionversion=17.9.1y1
  182. Affected versionversion=17.9.2
  183. Affected versionversion=17.9.2a
  184. Affected versionversion=17.9.3
  185. Affected versionversion=17.9.3a
  186. Affected versionversion=17.9.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

ClamAV · Cisco IOS XE Softwareversion=16.10.1; version=16.10.1a; version=16.10.1b; version=16.10.1c; version=16.10.1d; version=16.10.1e; version=16.10.1f; version=16.10.1g; version=16.10.1s; version=16.10.2; version=16.10.3; version=16.1.1; version=16.11.1; version=16.11.1a; version=16.11.1b; version=16.11.1s; version=16.11.2; version=16.1.2; version=16.12.1; version=16.12.10; version=16.12.1a; version=16.12.1c; version=16.12.1s; version=16.12.1t; version=16.12.1w; version=16.12.1x; version=16.12.1y; version=16.12.1z1; version=16.12.1z2; version=16.12.2; version=16.12.2a; version=16.12.2s; version=16.12.3; version=16.12.3a; version=16.12.3s; version=16.12.4; version=16.12.4a; version=16.12.5; version=16.12.5a; version=16.12.5b; version=16.12.6; version=16.12.6a; version=16.12.7; version=16.12.8; version=16.12.9; version=16.1.3; version=16.2.1; version=16.2.2; version=16.3.1; version=16.3.10; version=16.3.11; version=16.3.1a; version=16.3.2; version=16.3.3; version=16.3.4; version=16.3.5; version=16.3.5b; version=16.3.6; version=16.3.7; version=16.3.8; version=16.3.9; version=16.4.1; version=16.4.2; version=16.4.3; version=16.5.1; version=16.5.1a; version=16.5.1b; version=16.5.2; version=16.5.3; version=16.6.1; version=16.6.10; version=16.6.2; version=16.6.3; version=16.6.4; version=16.6.4a; version=16.6.5; version=16.6.5a; version=16.6.6; version=16.6.7; version=16.6.8; version=16.6.9; version=16.7.1; version=16.7.1a; version=16.7.1b; version=16.7.2; version=16.7.3; version=16.7.4; version=16.8.1; version=16.8.1a; version=16.8.1b; version=16.8.1c; version=16.8.1d; version=16.8.1e; version=16.8.1s; version=16.8.2; version=16.8.3; version=16.9.1; version=16.9.1a; version=16.9.1b; version=16.9.1s; version=16.9.2; version=16.9.3; version=16.9.3a; version=16.9.4; version=16.9.5; version=16.9.5f; version=16.9.6; version=16.9.7; version=16.9.8; version=17.10.1; version=17.10.1a; version=17.10.1b; version=17.1.1; version=17.11.1; version=17.11.1a; version=17.11.99SW; version=17.1.1a; version=17.1.1s; version=17.1.1t; version=17.12.1; version=17.12.1a; version=17.1.3; version=17.2.1; version=17.2.1a; version=17.2.1r; version=17.2.1v; version=17.2.2; version=17.2.3; version=17.3.1; version=17.3.1a; version=17.3.1w; version=17.3.1x; version=17.3.1z; version=17.3.2; version=17.3.2a; version=17.3.3; version=17.3.4; version=17.3.4a; version=17.3.4b; version=17.3.4c; version=17.3.5; version=17.3.5a; version=17.3.5b; version=17.3.6; version=17.3.7; version=17.3.8; version=17.4.1; version=17.4.1a; version=17.4.1b; version=17.4.2; version=17.4.2a; version=17.5.1; version=17.5.1a; version=17.5.1b; version=17.5.1c; version=17.6.1; version=17.6.1a; version=17.6.1w; version=17.6.1x; version=17.6.1y; version=17.6.1z; version=17.6.1z1; version=17.6.2; version=17.6.3; version=17.6.3a; version=17.6.4; version=17.6.5; version=17.6.6; version=17.7.1; version=17.7.1a; version=17.7.1b; version=17.7.2; version=17.8.1; version=17.8.1a; version=17.9.1; version=17.9.1a; version=17.9.1w; version=17.9.1x; version=17.9.1x1; version=17.9.1y; version=17.9.1y1; version=17.9.2; version=17.9.2a; version=17.9.3; version=17.9.3a; version=17.9.4

Published CVSS scores

10.0CiscoCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:X/RL:X/RC:X

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.

Daily unique IPsShadowserver observations through Sep 16, 2026. Gaps indicate unavailable data.
Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
View daily counts
Reporting dayUnique IPs
Sep 10, 2026323
Sep 11, 2026276
Sep 12, 2026231
Sep 13, 2026247
Sep 14, 2026522
Sep 15, 2026523
Sep 16, 2026355
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPs355
Prior 30-day average272.4
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationReported
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-420Unprotected Alternate Channel
T1136.001Create Account: Local Account

Public exploit references

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

Reported exploitation

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo