What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-20083?

CVE-2026-20083 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

Which versions of Cisco are affected by CVE-2026-20083?

CVE-2026-20083 presents notable security risk rated CVSS 6.5. Exploitation could compromise the security of affected deployments.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-20083?

Within 30 days: Identify affected systems and apply vendor patches as part of regular patch cycle. Monitor vendor channels for patch availability.

Cisco CVE-2026-20083

EUVD-2026-15429 MEDIUM

Improper Handling of Extra Parameters (CWE-235)

2026-03-25 cisco

GHSA-74wh-qxxr-jvr4

Cisco Denial Of Service Apple

6.5

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

6.5 MEDIUM

AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

EUVD ID Assigned

Mar 25, 2026 - 16:16 euvd

EUVD-2026-15429

Analysis Generated

Mar 25, 2026 - 16:16 vuln.today

CVE Published

Mar 25, 2026 - 16:07 nvd

MEDIUM 6.5

DescriptionCVE.org

A vulnerability in the Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) server feature of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with low privileges to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper handling of a malformed SCP request. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by issuing a crafted command through SSH. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload unexpectedly, resulting in a DoS condition.

AnalysisAI

Improper validation of malformed SCP requests in Cisco IOS XE Software allows authenticated local attackers to trigger unexpected device reloads and cause service disruption. An attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted SSH command to the SCP server component. No patch is currently available for this denial of service vulnerability.

Technical ContextAI

The vulnerability resides in the SCP server feature of Cisco IOS XE Software, a network operating system used in enterprise routing and switching infrastructure. SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) is a legacy file transfer protocol that runs over SSH and is commonly used for device management and configuration backup. The root cause is classified under CWE-235 (Improper Handling of Incorrect Relation in Data), indicating that the SCP request parser fails to properly validate or handle malformed protocol messages. When a crafted SCP command is issued through an SSH session, the vulnerable code path does not correctly process the invalid input, leading to an unhandled exception or memory corruption that forces a device reload. The CPE identifier cpe:2.3:a:cisco:cisco_ios_xe_software confirms this affects the core Cisco IOS XE software distribution across multiple hardware platforms.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to upgrade Cisco IOS XE Software to a patched version when released by Cisco; consult the official Cisco Security Advisory (https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-scp-dos-duAdXtCg) for the specific target version for your hardware platform and release train. Until patched versions are available or deployed, implement the following compensating controls: (1) Disable the SCP server feature on the device using the no ip scp server enable command if SCP is not required for operational automation; (2) Restrict SSH access to the device using access control lists (ACLs) or firewall rules to limit connectivity to known management workstations and jump hosts; (3) Use AAA authentication with strong credentials and audit SSH login attempts to detect unauthorized access attempts; (4) Monitor device reload events and set up alerts for unexpected reloads that may indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations unable to disable SCP should prioritize patching in their change management process, as this vulnerability can be exploited by any authenticated SSH user with low privileges.