CVE-2022-20679

CVE-2022-20679 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8. 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-20.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the IPSec decryption routine of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to buffer exhaustion that occurs while traffic on a configured IPsec tunnel is being processed. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending traffic to an affected device that has a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of 1800 bytes or greater. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker may need access to the trusted network where the affected device is in order to send specific packets to be processed by the device. All network devices between the attacker and the affected device must support an MTU of 1800 bytes or greater. This access requirement could limit the possibility of a successful exploit.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-20679?
A vulnerability in the IPSec decryption routine of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to buffer exhaustion that occurs while traffic on a configured IPsec tunnel is being processed. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending traffic to an affected device that has a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of 1800 bytes or greater. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker may need access to the trusted network where the affected device is in order to send specific packets to be processed by the device. All network devices between the attacker and the affected device must support an MTU of 1800 bytes or greater. This access requirement could limit the possibility of a successful exploit.
How severe is CVE-2022-20679?
CVE-2022-20679 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-20679 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (66th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-20679?
CVE-2022-20679 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe. In total, 109 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-20679?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2022-20679 published?
CVE-2022-20679 was published on 2022-04-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (109)

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