CVE-2019-12666: Cisco IOS XE Software Path Traversal Vulnerability

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.7 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 1.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2019-09-25 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-22

Description

A vulnerability in the Guest Shell of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform directory traversal on the base Linux operating system of Cisco IOS XE Software. The vulnerability is due to incomplete validation of certain commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by first accessing the Guest Shell and then entering specific commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the base Linux operating system.

Affected products

Cisco IOS XE: from 16.4 before 16.6.5; from 16.7 before 16.9.3; 16.11.1 — fixed in 16.6.5, 16.9.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Cisco IOS XE 16.6.5, 16.9.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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