How severe is CVE-2023-20176?

CVE-2023-20176 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.8, rated medium 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 low.

Is CVE-2023-20176 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (47th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-20176?

CVE-2023-20176 primarily affects Cisco Catalyst 9166 Firmware. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-20176?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2023-20176 published?

CVE-2023-20176 was published on 2023-09-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-20176

CVE-2023-20176 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst 9166 Firmware with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.8. 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-400.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (47th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-400
Affected product: Cisco Catalyst 9166 Firmware
Published: 2023-09-27
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in the networking component of Cisco access point (AP) software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a temporary disruption of service. This vulnerability is due to overuse of AP resources. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to an AP on an affected device as a wireless client and sending a high rate of traffic over an extended period of time. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the Datagram TLS (DTLS) session to tear down and reset, causing a denial of service (DoS) condition.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-20176?: A vulnerability in the networking component of Cisco access point (AP) software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a temporary disruption of service. This vulnerability is due to overuse of AP resources. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to an AP on an affected device as a wireless client and sending a high rate of traffic over an extended period of time. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the Datagram TLS (DTLS) session to tear down and reset, causing a denial of service (DoS) condition.
How severe is CVE-2023-20176?: CVE-2023-20176 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.8, rated medium 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 low.
Is CVE-2023-20176 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (47th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-20176?: CVE-2023-20176 primarily affects Cisco Catalyst 9166 Firmware. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-20176?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-20176 published?: CVE-2023-20176 was published on 2023-09-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-click-ap-dos-wdcXkvnQ

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:o:cisco:catalyst_9166_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:catalyst_9164_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:catalyst_9136_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:catalyst_9130_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:catalyst_9124_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Cisco Catalyst 9166 Firmware

CVE-2023-20112 — High (CVSS 7.4): A vulnerability in Cisco access point (AP) software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause a denial…

All CVEs affecting Cisco Catalyst 9166 Firmware →

Other CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-46775 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): Vulnerability in Oracle REST Data Services (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 24.2.0-26.1.0.…
CVE-2025-61303 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Hatching Triage Sandbox Windows 10 build 2004 (2025-08-14) and Windows 10 LTSC 2021(2025-08-14) contains a…
CVE-2025-43193 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7,…
CVE-2025-24269 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4. An app may be able to…
CVE-2025-24264 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in Safari 18.4, iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4,…
CVE-2025-24260 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5,…

Browse all CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) vulnerabilities →