CVE-2022-20915 | Cisco IOS XE Software IPv6 VPN over MPLS Denial of Service Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the implementation of IPv6 VPN over MPLS (6VPE) with Zone-Based Firewall (ZBFW) of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper error handling of an IPv6 packet that is forwarded from an MPLS and ZBFW-enabled interface in a 6VPE deployment. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IPv6 packet sourced from a device on the IPv6-enabled virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) interface through the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to reload the device, resulting in a DoS condition.

Published: 2022-10-10 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2022-20915 is rated Low Risk (39.7/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.11%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2022-20915

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-29 0.31% 0.11% -0.20%
2 2025-11-21 0.11% 0.31% +0.20%
3 2025-11-18 0.11%

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2022-20915

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.4 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 4.0 [email protected]
7.4 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 4.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2022-20915

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2022-20915

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
cisco ios_xe cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2022-20915

cvelogic Threat Intelligence