Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2024-20314

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-27

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

84/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

A vulnerability in the IPv4 Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) fabric edge node feature of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause high CPU utilization and stop all traffic processing, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper handling of certain IPv4 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending certain IPv4 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to exhaust CPU resources and stop processing traffic, resulting in a DoS condition.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A denial of service vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software's SD-Access fabric edge node feature allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to send specially crafted IPv4 packets that cause high CPU utilization, exhaust processing resources, and halt all traffic on the affected device.

MitigationApply Cisco-provided patches for IOS XE when available; meanwhile, restrict exposure to untrusted networks and consider ACL filtering for the affected feature at network boundaries.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Ios XeOperating system

Affected:= 16.1.1= 16.1.2= 16.1.3= 16.2.1= 16.2.2= 16.3.1= 16.3.1a= 16.3.2= 16.3.3= 16.3.4= 16.3.5= 16.3.5b

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Confirm device is running Cisco IOS XE

Run 'show version' command and look for 'IOS XE' in the output. The output will display the specific IOS XE version number.

Affected if The device is not running IOS XE (for example, running classic IOS or IOS-XR) then this CVE does not apply.
Verify the IOS XE version against the affected list

Locate the version number from 'show version' output. Compare it to these specific versions: 16.1.1, 16.1.2, 16.1.3, 16.2.1, 16.2.2, 16.3.1, 16.3.1a, 16.3.2, 16.3.3, 16.3.4, 16.3.5, and 16.3.5b.

Affected if The installed version exactly matches one of these versions: 16.1.1, 16.1.2, 16.1.3, 16.2.1, 16.2.2, 16.3.1, 16.3.1a, 16.3.2, 16.3.3, 16.3.4, 16.3.5, or 16.3.5b.
Determine if SD-Access fabric edge node is configured

Run 'show sd-access fabric edge' or check the device configuration with 'show running-config | include fabric' to see if SD-Access fabric edge node is enabled.

Affected if SD-Access fabric edge node feature is enabled and configured on the device.
Assess network exposure to untrusted IPv4 traffic

Review access control lists, interface configurations, and network topology to determine whether the device can receive IPv4 packets from untrusted or external networks on any interface where SD-Access is active.

Affected if The device's SD-Access fabric edge interfaces are reachable from untrusted or external networks that could send specially crafted IPv4 packets.

The device is affected if it runs IOS XE version 16.1.1 through 16.3.5b, has SD-Access fabric edge node enabled, and can receive IPv4 traffic from untrusted sources.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply Cisco-provided patches for IOS XE when available; meanwhile, restrict exposure to untrusted networks and consider ACL filtering for the affected feature at network boundaries.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the fixed Cisco IOS XE release specified in the CVE-2024-20314 advisory (consult sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for exact version)

1. Identify the current Cisco IOS XE version running on the affected SD-Access fabric edge node device using 'show version' command.
2. Confirm the device is running an affected version (16.1.1, 16.1.2, 16.1.3, or 16.2.1) that has the IPv4 SD-Access fabric edge feature enabled.
3. Access Cisco.com and navigate to the security advisory for CVE-2024-20314 at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com to obtain the specific fixed release information.
4. Download the recommended fixed Cisco IOS XE software release from the Cisco Software Download center.
5. Plan a maintenance window as upgrades require device reload.
6. Back up the current device configuration.
7. Upgrade the IOS XE software using the appropriate method (USB, TFTP, or ROMMON) per Cisco upgrade procedures.
8. After upgrade, verify the new IOS XE version is running using 'show version'.

Caveat Standard IOS XE upgrade risks apply - review release notes for any configuration changes or features that may behave differently

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

Fix this in Ios Xe Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation6.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing12.0 h
Review / QA6.0 h

32.0 hours of engineering $5,520

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

sec.cloudapps.cisco.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-20314 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2024-20314?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.8%

Affects: Ios Xe

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Ios Xe 32 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $5,520

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2024-20314 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References