CVE-2022-20708
Published: 10 February 2022
Summary
CVE-2022-20708 is a critical-severity Stack-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-121) vulnerability in Cisco Rv340 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 10.0 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 7.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
Multiple vulnerabilities affect Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers. The issues, tracked under CVE-2022-20708 with a CVSS score of 10.0, stem from stack-based buffer overflows (CWE-121) and OS command injection flaws (CWE-78) that collectively enable arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, command execution, authentication bypass, unsigned code loading, and denial of service.
Remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit the flaws over the network to compromise affected routers, gaining full control of the device and the ability to pivot within connected networks. The vulnerabilities require no user interaction or credentials, making internet-exposed routers particularly susceptible.
Cisco's security advisory recommends applying the vendor-supplied firmware updates listed for each model series. CISA has added the CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. The associated EPSS score rose from lower values to a peak of 0.1365 on 2025-12-11 before receding to the current 0.0931, indicating a period of increased exploitation interest after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-25958
Vulnerability details
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers could allow an attacker to do any of the following: Execute arbitrary code Elevate privileges Execute arbitrary commands Bypass authentication and authorization protections Fetch and run unsigned…
more
software Cause denial of service (DoS) For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 03 March 2022
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly enforces input validation to block the stack-based buffer overflows (CWE-121) and OS command injection (CWE-78) that enable unauthenticated remote code execution.
Requires timely application of vendor patches that remediate the listed vulnerabilities in the RV160/RV260/RV340/RV345 firmware.
Provides memory-protection mechanisms that can prevent successful exploitation of the stack-based buffer overflows present in this CVE.