# CVE-2019-16011: Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Command Injection Vulnerability

> Authenticated local attackers can inject arbitrary commands into the CLI to execute them with root privileges on Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN devices.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 29 Apr 2020
- **Updated:** 15 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6xvj-hfc5-c4v6

## What is CVE-2019-16011?

CVE-2019-16011 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe, published on 29 Apr 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to inject arbitrary commands that are executed with root privileges. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the device and submitting crafted input to the CLI utility. The attacker must be authenticated to access the CLI utility. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands with root privileges.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-16011?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios Xe.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-16011?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-16011 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-16011 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-16011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios Xe

- [CVE-2023-20198](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20198/): Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-0151](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0151/): Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software Quality of Service Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-20273](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20273/): Cisco IOS XE Web UI Command Injection (high 7.2, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-20188](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20188/): Hardcoded credentials in Cisco IOS XE Software (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-34770](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34770/): Cisco IOS XE Software for Catalyst 9000 Family Wireless Controllers CAPWAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-16011 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-16011 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe, published on 29 Apr 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-16011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Ios Xe. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16011/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16011/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-16011
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16011
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-16011

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16011/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.