CVE-2023-20046 [High] | Security Vulnerability in Staros

A vulnerability in the key-based SSH authentication feature of Cisco StarOS Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied credentials. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a valid low-privileged SSH key to an affected device from a host that has an IP address that is configured as the source for a high-privileged user account. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to the affected device through SSH as a high-privileged user. There are workarounds that address this vulnerability.

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2026-05-19	0.56%	0.33%	-0.23%
2	2026-04-22	0.69%	0.56%	-0.13%
3	2026-02-01	—	0.69%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2026-05-19

0.56%

0.33%

-0.23%

2026-04-22

0.69%

0.56%

-0.13%

2026-02-01

—

0.69%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
8.8	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. 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:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	2.8	5.9	[email protected]
8.8	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. 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:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	2.8	5.9	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

8.8

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
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:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

2.8

5.9

[email protected]

8.8

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
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:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

2.8

5.9

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-20046

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
cisco	staros	< 21.22.14	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros::::::::
cisco	staros	>= 21.23.0, < 21.23.31	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros::::::::
cisco	staros	>= 21.25.0, < 21.25.15	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros::::::::
cisco	staros	>= 21.26.0, < 21.26.17	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros::::::::
cisco	staros	>= 21.27.0, < 21.27.6	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros::::::::
cisco	staros	>= 21.28.0, < 21.28.3	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros::::::::
cisco	staros	21.23.n	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.23.n:::::::*
cisco	staros	21.24	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.24:::::::*
cisco	staros	21.27.m	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.27.m:::::::*
cisco	staros	21.28.m	cpe:2.3:o:cisco:staros:21.28.m:::::::*

References for CVE-2023-20046

URL	Tags
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-staros-ssh-privesc-BmWeJC3h	Vendor Advisory

URL

CVE-2023-20046

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-20046

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-20046

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-20046

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-20046

References for CVE-2023-20046