dbcve.org
Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2022-20944

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 software image verification functionality of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to execute unsigned code at system boot time. This vulnerability is due to an improper check in the code function that manages the verification of the digital signatures of system image files during the initial boot process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by loading unsigned software on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to boot a malicious software image or execute unsigned code and bypass the image verification check part of the boot process of the affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker needs either unauthenticated physical access to the device or privileged access to the root shell on the device. Note: In Cisco IOS XE Software releases 16.11.1 and later, root shell access is protected by the Consent Token mechanism. However, an attacker with level-15 privileges could easily downgrade the Cisco IOS XE Software running on a device to a release where root shell access is more readily available.

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

The vulnerability exists in the image verification functionality of Cisco IOS XE Software for Catalyst 9200 Series Switches. An improper check in the digital signature verification code during the initial boot process allows an attacker with physical access or root shell privileges to bypass image verification and execute unsigned code by loading a malicious software image.

MitigationUpgrade to a Cisco IOS XE Software version that includes the patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, limit physical access to affected devices and restrict level-15 administrative privileges to prevent software downgrade attacks.

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
Ios XeOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Check the running IOS XE software version
    Execute 'show version' on the device CLI to display the installed IOS XE version and build information.
    Affected if The device runs any version of Cisco IOS XE for Catalyst 9200 Series (the vulnerability affects all versions until patched).
  2. Verify secure boot status
    Execute 'show secure-boot status' to determine whether secure boot and image verification are enabled on the device.
    Affected if Secure boot is disabled or image verification is not enforced, making the bypass possible.
  3. Inspect boot configuration
    Execute 'show boot' to view the boot variables and configured software images. Check for any unexpected or manually set image paths.
    Affected if Non-standard boot images are configured or the boot chain points to unverified locations.
  4. Check image signature verification status
    Execute 'show software integrity' or 'show software authenticity' if available, to verify whether the currently running image passed digital signature validation.
    Affected if The running image shows as unauthenticated, unverified, or fails signature validation.
  5. Review system inventory for unexpected software
    Execute 'show inventory' and compare against known-good software versions. Look for duplicate or unexpected ROMMON or IOS XE entries.
    Affected if Multiple software images are present or unexpected entries exist in the inventory.

A user is affected if they are running Cisco IOS XE on a Catalyst 9200 Series Switch where secure boot is disabled, image verification is not enforced, or the running image cannot be verified as digitally signed.

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

Upgrade to a Cisco IOS XE Software version that includes the patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, limit physical access to affected devices and restrict level-15 administrative privileges to prevent software downgrade attacks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Obtain the fixed IOS XE release from Cisco Security Advisory for CVE-2022-20944 (refer to tools.cisco.com for the specific release train such as 16.x or 17.x that addresses this vulnerability)

  1. 1. Identify the current Cisco IOS XE Software version running on the affected Catalyst 9200 Series Switch using 'show version' command.
  2. 2. Access the Cisco Security Advisories page (tools.cisco.com) and search for CVE-2022-20944 to obtain the specific fixed software release.
  3. 3. Download the recommended fixed IOS XE release from Cisco's software download center.
  4. 4. Transfer the new software image to the device using TFTP, FTP, or SCP.
  5. 5. Verify the integrity of the downloaded image using MD5 or SHA256 checksums provided by Cisco.
  6. 6. Install the new software image using the 'archive download-sw' or 'software install' command.
  7. 7. Reload the device to boot into the fixed software version using 'reload' command.
  8. 8. After reload, verify the new version is installed using 'show version' and confirm the vulnerability is addressed.
Caveat Review Cisco release notes for the target version for any feature changes or migration considerations; level-15 privilege may be required for upgrade operations

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

Fix this in Ios Xe Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2022-20944 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