CVE-2020-3169 in FXOS
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco FXOS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying Linux operating system with a privilege level of root on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of arguments passed to a specific CLI command on the affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including malicious input as the argument of an affected command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying Linux operating system with root privileges. An attacker would need valid administrator credentials to exploit this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-3169 resides within the Command Line Interface of Cisco FXOS Software, representing a critical security flaw that enables authenticated local attackers to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary commands with root-level access on affected devices. This vulnerability specifically targets the insufficient validation mechanisms implemented within the CLI command processing framework, creating a pathway for malicious input to bypass normal security controls. The flaw manifests when an attacker provides carefully crafted arguments to a specific CLI command, which are then processed without adequate sanitization or validation checks. The underlying issue stems from the software's failure to properly validate input parameters, allowing potentially harmful commands to be passed through to the underlying Linux operating system. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability that leverages the trust model between the CLI interface and the operating system, where legitimate administrative access can be weaponized to gain unauthorized root privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple command execution, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of Cisco devices running affected FXOS software versions. An attacker with valid administrator credentials can exploit this weakness to gain complete control over the device, enabling them to modify system configurations, access sensitive data, install malicious software, or establish persistent backdoors. The root privilege level achieved through exploitation provides attackers with unrestricted access to all system resources, including the ability to modify or delete critical system files, manipulate network configurations, and potentially use the compromised device as a launch point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the integrity of the device's security model, as it allows a legitimate administrative user to escalate their privileges beyond what should be permitted. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where Cisco devices serve as critical network infrastructure components, as successful exploitation could lead to widespread service disruption, data breaches, or complete network compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-3169 should prioritize immediate software updates and patches provided by Cisco to address the input validation deficiencies in the affected CLI commands. Organizations must implement strict access controls and monitor administrative sessions to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability requires valid administrator credentials to be exploited. Security monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual command patterns or attempts to execute system-level operations that could indicate exploitation activity. Network segmentation and privilege separation measures can help limit the potential impact if exploitation occurs, while regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify other potential weaknesses in the device configuration. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers would leverage the CLI to execute malicious commands with elevated privileges. Organizations should also consider implementing additional logging and audit controls to track CLI usage and identify anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security awareness training for administrators can help reduce the risk of credential compromise, which is a prerequisite for exploiting this vulnerability.