CVE-2023-20109
Memory Safety in Cisco Ios 12.4\(22\)md … 15.9\(3\)m7a
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-20109 is a medium-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Cisco Ios. Its CVSS base score is 6.6 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Security Account Manager (T1003.002); ranked in the top 16% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
A vulnerability in the Cisco Group Encrypted Transport VPN (GET VPN) feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software stems from insufficient validation of attributes in the Group Domain of Interpretation (GDOI) and G-IKEv2 protocols. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-20109 with a CVSS score of 6.6, is also associated with CWE-787 and affects devices configured for GET VPN operations.
An authenticated remote attacker who has already obtained administrative control of either a group member or a key server can exploit the issue by compromising an installed key server or redirecting a group member to an attacker-controlled key server. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution with full system control or triggers a device reload resulting in denial of service.
The Cisco Security Advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com provides mitigation guidance and software updates, while CISA lists the CVE in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating confirmed in-the-wild exploitation. The current EPSS score of 0.0063 reflects limited but non-zero exploitation probability.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-24288
Vulnerability Data
A vulnerability in the Cisco Group Encrypted Transport VPN (GET VPN) feature of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker who has administrative control of either a group member or a key server…
more
to execute arbitrary code on an affected device or cause the device to crash. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of attributes in the Group Domain of Interpretation (GDOI) and G-IKEv2 protocols of the GET VPN feature. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by either compromising an installed key server or modifying the configuration of a group member to point to a key server that is controlled by the attacker. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code and gain full control of the affected system or cause the affected system to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. For more information, see the Details ["#details"] section of this advisory.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 10 October 2023
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.
Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.
Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.