CVE-2020-3417

Cisco IOS XE Software Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

MEDIUM
6.7
CVSS Score
Published: September 24, 2020 at 06:01 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 03:18 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorIOS Xe

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Severity
MEDIUM6.7
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.4%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

A vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute persistent code at boot time and break the chain of trust. This vulnerability is due to incorrect validations by boot scripts when specific ROM monitor (ROMMON) variables are set. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by installing code to a specific directory in the underlying operating system (OS) and setting a specific ROMMON variable. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute persistent code on the underlying OS. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need access to the root shell on the device or have physical access to the device.

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatableTotal impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
HIGH
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-78

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