{
  "site": "https://pwn.watch",
  "generatedAt": "2026-10-23T00:38:06.301Z",
  "tag": {
    "id": "ios-xe",
    "label": "IOS XE",
    "isStack": false,
    "url": "https://pwn.watch/t/ios-xe",
    "feed": "https://pwn.watch/t/ios-xe/feed.xml"
  },
  "counts": {
    "incidents": 1,
    "live": 0,
    "notFullyPatched": 0,
    "patched": 1
  },
  "incidents": [
    {
      "slug": "cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198",
      "title": "Cisco IOS XE web UI zero-days: implants on tens of thousands of devices",
      "url": "https://pwn.watch/i/cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198",
      "json": "https://pwn.watch/i/cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198.json",
      "status": "closed",
      "severity": "critical",
      "patchStatus": "patched",
      "product": "Cisco IOS XE Software (web UI)",
      "tags": [
        "cisco",
        "ios-xe",
        "zero-day",
        "auth-bypass",
        "rce",
        "cisa-kev"
      ],
      "cveIds": [
        "CVE-2023-20198",
        "CVE-2023-20273"
      ],
      "affectedVersions": [
        "IOS XE with the HTTP/HTTPS server (web UI) enabled; see vendor advisory"
      ],
      "fixedVersions": [
        "17.9.4a",
        "17.6.6a",
        "17.3.8a",
        "16.12.10a (Catalyst 3650/3850 only)"
      ],
      "startedAt": "2023-09-18",
      "closedAt": "2023-10-23",
      "updatedAt": "2023-10-23",
      "summary": "Attackers chained two zero-days in the Cisco IOS XE web UI. CVE-2023-20198 let them create a privilege-15 account, and CVE-2023-20273 let them write a root-level implant. Internet scans soon found implants on tens of thousands of switches and routers.",
      "xPost": null
    }
  ],
  "posts": [],
  "changes": [
    {
      "incident": "cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198",
      "incidentTitle": "Cisco IOS XE web UI zero-days: implants on tens of thousands of devices",
      "severity": "critical",
      "status": "closed",
      "patchStatus": "patched",
      "date": "2023-10-23",
      "title": "CISA adds CVE-2023-20273 to the KEV catalog",
      "body": null,
      "sourceUrl": null,
      "url": "https://pwn.watch/i/cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198"
    },
    {
      "incident": "cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198",
      "incidentTitle": "Cisco IOS XE web UI zero-days: implants on tens of thousands of devices",
      "severity": "critical",
      "status": "closed",
      "patchStatus": "patched",
      "date": "2023-10-22",
      "title": "First fixed release, 17.9.4a, published",
      "body": null,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/csa/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z.html",
      "url": "https://pwn.watch/i/cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198"
    },
    {
      "incident": "cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198",
      "incidentTitle": "Cisco IOS XE web UI zero-days: implants on tens of thousands of devices",
      "severity": "critical",
      "status": "closed",
      "patchStatus": "patched",
      "date": "2023-10-20",
      "title": "Cisco discloses the second bug (CVE-2023-20273) used to write the implant as root",
      "body": null,
      "sourceUrl": null,
      "url": "https://pwn.watch/i/cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198"
    },
    {
      "incident": "cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198",
      "incidentTitle": "Cisco IOS XE web UI zero-days: implants on tens of thousands of devices",
      "severity": "critical",
      "status": "closed",
      "patchStatus": "patched",
      "date": "2023-10-16",
      "title": "Cisco advisory and Talos write-up on active exploitation; CISA adds CVE-2023-20198 to KEV",
      "body": null,
      "sourceUrl": "https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-webui-privesc-j22SaA4z",
      "url": "https://pwn.watch/i/cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198"
    },
    {
      "incident": "cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198",
      "incidentTitle": "Cisco IOS XE web UI zero-days: implants on tens of thousands of devices",
      "severity": "critical",
      "status": "closed",
      "patchStatus": "patched",
      "date": "2023-09-18",
      "title": "Earliest malicious activity found by Cisco Talos",
      "body": null,
      "sourceUrl": "https://blog.talosintelligence.com/active-exploitation-of-cisco-ios-xe-software/",
      "url": "https://pwn.watch/i/cisco-ios-xe-web-ui-implants-cve-2023-20198"
    }
  ]
}