Cisco IOS Cross-Site Request Forgery Vulnerability

Summary

Cisco IOS 12.4 contains multiple cross-site forgery vulnerabilities that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via (1) a certain "show privilege" command to the /level/15/exec/- URI, and (2) a certain "alias exec" command to the /level/15/exec/-/configure/http URI.

Why it matters

CVE-2008-4128 is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. CISA remediation deadline: 2026-07-16. Treat remediation as urgent.

Operator check

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

Sources