dbcve.org
iOSOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2022-20697

HIGH · 8.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A vulnerability in the web services interface of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to improper resource management in the HTTP server code. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large number of HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a resource management vulnerability in the HTTP server component of Cisco IOS and IOS XE software. An authenticated remote attacker can send a large number of HTTP requests to exhaust resources and cause the affected device to reload, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationApply the Cisco software update/patch when available. Until then, restrict HTTP web services access to trusted authenticated users only and monitor for abnormal HTTP traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
iOSOperating system
Affected:= 15.1\(3\)svr1= 15.1\(3\)svr2= 15.1\(3\)svr3= 15.1\(3\)svs= 15.1\(3\)svs1= 15.1\(3\)svt1= 15.1\(3\)svt2= 15.1\(3\)svt3= 15.1\(3\)svu1= 15.1\(3\)svu2= 15.1\(3\)svu10= 15.1\(3\)svv1
Ios XeOperating system
Affected:= 3.11.3ae= 3.11.3e= 3.11.4e

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify HTTP server is enabled
    Run 'show ip http server status' or check configuration with 'show running-config | include ip http'
    Affected if HTTP server is enabled and the device version matches the affected versions list
  2. Determine installed Cisco iOS or IOS XE version
    Run 'show version' and examine the software version string (look for 15.1(3) followed by svr1, svr2, svr3, svs, svs1, svt1, svt2, svt3, svu1, svu2, svu10, or svv1 for iOS; or 3.11.3ae, 3.11.3e, or 3.11.4e for IOS XE)
    Affected if The exact version string matches one of the affected versions listed in the CVE
  3. Check if HTTP server allows remote access
    Run 'show ip http server status' and verify the interface binding; also check 'show running-config | include ip http server secure' to see if HTTP server is bound to external interfaces
    Affected if HTTP server is enabled on external-facing interfaces and version is affected
  4. Confirm authentication is required for HTTP access
    Run 'show running-config | include ip http' and verify authentication is configured (such as 'ip http authentication local' or similar)
    Affected if No authentication is enforced on the HTTP server and version is affected

A device is affected if it runs a matching version AND has the HTTP server enabled and accessible, regardless of authentication configuration since the attacker needs to be authenticated.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Cisco software update/patch when available. Until then, restrict HTTP web services access to trusted authenticated users only and monitor for abnormal HTTP traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Fixed IOS/IOS XE release per Cisco advisory (specific version varies by platform - consult tools.cisco.com for CVE-2022-20697)

  1. 1. Identify the specific Cisco IOS or IOS XE device model and current software version using 'show version' command
  2. 2. Access the Cisco Security Advisory at tools.cisco.com for CVE-2022-20697 to obtain the exact fixed release for your device platform
  3. 3. Download the fixed IOS/IOS XE release from Cisco's software download center
  4. 4. Upload the new firmware to the device using standard Cisco upgrade procedures (e.g., TFTP, USB, or direct file transfer)
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade completed successfully with 'show version' to confirm the new software version is running
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the web services interface is functioning normally and the vulnerability is remediated
Caveat Review Cisco release notes for potential compatibility issues or feature changes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in iOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-20697 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data