How severe is CVE-2023-20101?

CVE-2023-20101 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-20101 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-20101?

CVE-2023-20101 affects Cisco Emergency Responder. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-20101?

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-2023-20101 published?

CVE-2023-20101 was published on 2023-10-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-20101

CVE-2023-20101 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Emergency Responder with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-798.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (82nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-798
Affected product: Cisco Emergency Responder
Published: 2023-10-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in Cisco Emergency Responder could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected device using the root account, which has default, static credentials that cannot be changed or deleted. This vulnerability is due to the presence of static user credentials for the root account that are typically reserved for use during development. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the account to log in to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to the affected system and execute arbitrary commands as the root user.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-20101?: A vulnerability in Cisco Emergency Responder could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected device using the root account, which has default, static credentials that cannot be changed or deleted. This vulnerability is due to the presence of static user credentials for the root account that are typically reserved for use during development. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the account to log in to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to the affected system and execute arbitrary commands as the root user.
How severe is CVE-2023-20101?: CVE-2023-20101 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-20101 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-20101?: CVE-2023-20101 affects Cisco Emergency Responder. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-20101?: 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-2023-20101 published?: CVE-2023-20101 was published on 2023-10-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-cer-priv-esc-B9t3hqk9

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:cisco:emergency_responder:12.5\(1\)su4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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