How severe is CVE-2015-6280?

CVE-2015-6280 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2015-6280 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-6280?

CVE-2015-6280 primarily affects Cisco Ios. In total, 74 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-6280?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-6280 published?

CVE-2015-6280 was published on 2015-09-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-6280

CVE-2015-6280 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 9.3)
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (90th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Cisco Ios
Published: 2015-09-28
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The SSHv2 functionality in Cisco IOS 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, and 15.5 and IOS XE 3.6E before 3.6.3E, 3.7E before 3.7.1E, 3.10S before 3.10.6S, 3.11S before 3.11.4S, 3.12S before 3.12.3S, 3.13S before 3.13.3S, and 3.14S before 3.14.1S does not properly implement RSA authentication, which allows remote attackers to obtain login access by leveraging knowledge of a username and the associated public key, aka Bug ID CSCus73013.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-6280?: The SSHv2 functionality in Cisco IOS 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, and 15.5 and IOS XE 3.6E before 3.6.3E, 3.7E before 3.7.1E, 3.10S before 3.10.6S, 3.11S before 3.11.4S, 3.12S before 3.12.3S, 3.13S before 3.13.3S, and 3.14S before 3.14.1S does not properly implement RSA authentication, which allows remote attackers to obtain login access by leveraging knowledge of a username and the associated public key, aka Bug ID CSCus73013.
How severe is CVE-2015-6280?: CVE-2015-6280 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2015-6280 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2015-6280?: CVE-2015-6280 primarily affects Cisco Ios. In total, 74 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-6280?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2015-6280 published?: CVE-2015-6280 was published on 2015-09-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (74)

cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(1\)sy:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(1\)sy0a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(2\)e:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(2\)e1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(2\)e2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(2\)ea1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(2a\)e1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(2a\)e2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(3\)e:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(3\)ea:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.2\(3a\)e:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)m1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)m2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)m3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)m4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)m5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)s1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)s1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)s2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)s3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)s4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.3\(3\)s5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)cg:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)cg1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)s1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)s2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)s3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)t:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)t1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)t2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(1\)t3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(2\)cg:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(2\)s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(2\)s1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(2\)s2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(2\)t:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(2\)t1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios:15.4\(2\)t2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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