CVE-2004-1464 Cisco IOS Denial-of-Service Vulnerability
Cisco IOS contains an unspecified vulnerability that may block further telnet, reverse telnet, Remote Shell (RSH), Secure Shell (SSH), and in some cases, Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) access to the Cisco device.
From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.
Should You Worry?
- CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 19 May 2023.
- Rated Medium severity (CVSS 5.9, scored by CISA).
- It has been in the catalogue for 1,267 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
What It Is
Cisco IOS 12.2(15) and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (refused VTY (virtual terminal) connections), via a crafted TCP connection to the Telnet or reverse Telnet port.
What To Do Now
- 1
Find it
Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for Cisco IOS. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.
Attack Surface Management - 2
- 3
Hunt for compromise
If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.
Incident Response - 4
Prove it is fixed
Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.
Penetration Testing
The Compliance Clock
General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.
Not Sure If You Are Exposed?
Our attack surface and vulnerability teams can check your internet-facing estate for CVE-2004-1464 and every other exploited flaw on the list.
Sources
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
- NVD: CVE-2004-1464
- CVE record: CVE-2004-1464
- FIRST EPSS
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20040827-telnet
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/17131
- securitytracker.com/id?1011079
- kb.cert.org/vuls/id/384230
- secunia.com/advisories/12395/
- cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20040827-telnet.shtml
- securityfocus.com/bid/11060
