Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Cisco IOS/IOS XE issue can let a network-positioned attacker read or alter data that should have stayed encrypted. It is not a simple internet-wide break-in: the attacker must be in a man-in-the-middle position. Business urgency is moderate, with higher priority for routers or switches that contact sensitive services.
Executive priority
Prioritize confirmation during normal vulnerability management, escalating for devices that handle sensitive traffic or sit on untrusted paths. The issue has confidentiality and integrity impact but high attack complexity and no cited active exploitation.
Technical view
The HTTP client feature mishandles persistent HTTP connection matching because TCP port information is not considered. A new request can be associated with an existing connection incorrectly, allowing an unauthenticated remote man-in-the-middle attacker to observe or modify data expected to traverse an encrypted channel. CVSS v3.0 is 4.8 with high attack complexity.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Cisco IOS and IOS XE deployments using the HTTP client feature. The provided affected record specifically names Cisco IOS 12.2(15)B, but the advisory title covers IOS and IOS XE. Practical exposure depends on device software, feature use, and attacker network position.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not report known active exploitation, and KEV is false. Exploitation requires a man-in-the-middle position and conditions involving persistent HTTP connection reuse. Treat this as a targeted network-path risk, not as evidence of broad exploitation.
Researcher notes
The core condition is incorrect persistent connection matching that ignores TCP port information. The available bundle is limited: it identifies the vulnerability mechanism, CVSS, Cisco advisory, and one affected IOS version entry, but does not include detailed fixed-release data or exploitation telemetry.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco advisory for affected and fixed software details.
- Upgrade affected Cisco IOS or IOS XE software per vendor guidance.
- Inventory devices that use the HTTP client feature.
- Limit untrusted network paths between devices and external services.
- Consult Cisco guidance if immediate upgrade is not possible.
Validation and detection
- Identify Cisco IOS and IOS XE versions in the environment.
- Confirm whether the HTTP client feature is enabled or used.
- Map device communications that carry sensitive management or operational data.
- Check whether any listed affected versions remain deployed.
- Verify remediation against Cisco advisory status, not only CVE metadata.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-399: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-12665 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N2.22.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
4.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20190925 Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software HTTP Client Information Disclosure VulnerabilityCVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_CISCO
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Resource Management Errors
Resource Management Errors represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.