# CVE-2022-20821: Cisco IOS XR Open Port Vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-20821-cisco-ios-xr-open-port-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2022-05-23. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2022-20821 · Severity: critical · CVSS 6.5 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2022-05-23

A vulnerability in the health check RPM of Cisco IOS XR Software opens TCP port 6379 by default, allowing unauthenticated remote access to a Redis instance within a sandboxed container. Attackers can write to the Redis database and the container filesystem, though they cannot execute code on the host system.

Technologies: [Cisco IOS XR](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ios-xr). Vendors: [Cisco](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/cisco).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2022-20821 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2022-20821 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 23 May 2022. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2022-20821?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 23 May 2022.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Cisco IOS XR (none).

**Is there a fix for CVE-2022-20821?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2022-20821 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.

**Am I affected by CVE-2022-20821?** Check whether you run Cisco IOS XR. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Affected products

- Cisco IOS XR (none)

## Timeline

- 2022-05-23: disclosed
- 2022-05-23: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
- 2022-05-23: exploited: Reported as exploited in the wild.

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- [Cisco IOS XR IPv4 packet processing denial of service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-76505-a-vulnerability-in-the-ipv4-packet-processing-functionality-of)
- [Cisco IOS XR Software improper neutralization in command processing](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-20278-cisco-ios-xr-software-improper-neutralization-in-command)
- [Cisco IOS XR Software privilege escalation in task group assignment](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-20046-cisco-ios-xr-software-privilege-escalation-in-task-group)
- [Cisco IOS XR Software privilege escalation in CLI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-20040-cisco-ios-xr-software-privilege-escalation-in-cli)
- [Cisco IOS and IOS XE stack overflow in SNMP subsystem](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-20352-cisco-ios-and-ios-xe-stack-overflow-in-snmp-subsystem)