CVE-2022-20623

CVE-2022-20623 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Nx-os with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.6. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 12% places it in the 96th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-399.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the rate limiter for Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) traffic of Cisco NX-OS Software for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause BFD traffic to be dropped on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to a logic error in the BFD rate limiter functionality. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted stream of traffic through the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause BFD traffic to be dropped, resulting in BFD session flaps. BFD session flaps can cause route instability and dropped traffic, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability applies to both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-20623?
A vulnerability in the rate limiter for Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) traffic of Cisco NX-OS Software for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause BFD traffic to be dropped on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to a logic error in the BFD rate limiter functionality. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted stream of traffic through the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause BFD traffic to be dropped, resulting in BFD session flaps. BFD session flaps can cause route instability and dropped traffic, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability applies to both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic.
How severe is CVE-2022-20623?
CVE-2022-20623 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.6, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-20623 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 12% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-20623?
CVE-2022-20623 affects Cisco Nx-os. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-20623?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2022-20623 published?
CVE-2022-20623 was published on 2022-02-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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