CVE-2023-20118

Exp

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business Routers RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325 Routers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user input within incoming HTTP packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web-based management interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root-level privileges and access unauthorized data. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to have valid administrative credentials on the affected device. Cisco has not and will not release software updates that address this vulnerability. However, administrators may disable the affected feature as described in the Workarounds ["#workarounds"] section. {{value}} ["%7b%7bvalue%7d%7d"])}]]

Published: 2023-04-13 Last update: 2025-10-28 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-20118 is rated Critical Active Threat (81.8/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 3.83%). Core evidence: CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2025-03-03) affecting Cisco / Small Business RV Series Routers. a weakness (CWE-77) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. Mandatory action: The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

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

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2023-20118

Name: Cisco Small Business RV Series Routers Command Injection Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2025-03-03

Action due: 2025-03-24

Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-20118

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 2026-06-08 3.93% 3.83% -0.10%
2 2026-05-26 3.83% 3.93% +0.10%
3 2026-04-06 3.83%

Full EPSS history (42 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-20118

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N 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:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
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:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
1.2 5.2 [email protected]
7.2 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
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.
1.2 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-20118

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-20118

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
cisco rv016_firmware cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv016_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco rv042_firmware cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv042_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco rv042g_firmware cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv042g_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco rv082_firmware cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv082_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco rv320_firmware cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv320_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco rv325_firmware cpe:2.3:o:cisco:rv325_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-20118

cvelogic Threat Intelligence