CVE-2022-20821

CVE-2022-20821 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xr with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2022-05-23). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-200.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the health check RPM of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the Redis instance that is running within the NOSi container. This vulnerability exists because the health check RPM opens TCP port 6379 by default upon activation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to the Redis instance on the open port. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to write to the Redis in-memory database, write arbitrary files to the container filesystem, and retrieve information about the Redis database. Given the configuration of the sandboxed container that the Redis instance runs in, a remote attacker would be unable to execute remote code or abuse the integrity of the Cisco IOS XR Software host system.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-20821?
A vulnerability in the health check RPM of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the Redis instance that is running within the NOSi container. This vulnerability exists because the health check RPM opens TCP port 6379 by default upon activation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to the Redis instance on the open port. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to write to the Redis in-memory database, write arbitrary files to the container filesystem, and retrieve information about the Redis database. Given the configuration of the sandboxed container that the Redis instance runs in, a remote attacker would be unable to execute remote code or abuse the integrity of the Cisco IOS XR Software host system.
How severe is CVE-2022-20821?
CVE-2022-20821 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2022-20821 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2022-20821 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2022-05-23, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-20821?
CVE-2022-20821 affects Cisco Ios Xr. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-20821?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2022-20821 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2022-20821 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2022-26071. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2022-05-23).
When was CVE-2022-20821 published?
CVE-2022-20821 was published on 2022-05-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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