CVE-2023-20100 | Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers CAPWAP Join Denial of Service Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the access point (AP) joining process of the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to a logic error that occurs when certain conditions are met during the AP joining process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by adding an AP that is under their control to the network. The attacker then must ensure that the AP successfully joins an affected wireless controller under certain conditions. Additionally, the attacker would need the ability to restart a valid AP that was previously connected to the controller. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to restart unexpectedly, resulting in a DoS condition.

Published: 2023-03-23 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-20100 is rated Moderate Risk (44.9/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.78%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

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-2023-20100

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 2026-06-15 0.87% 0.78% -0.09%
2 2026-05-16 1.09% 0.87% -0.22%
3 2026-03-24 1.09%

Full EPSS history (13 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-20100

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.8 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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.
2.2 4.0 [email protected]
6.8 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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.
2.2 4.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-20100

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-20100

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
cisco ios_xe 17.10.1 cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.10.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-20100

cvelogic Threat Intelligence