Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a logged-in attacker abuse the Cisco IOS XE web interface to run operating-system commands as an administrator. For executives, the concern is control-plane compromise of network equipment, not just a website bug.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for network infrastructure. It does not have confirmed active exploitation in the provided sources, but administrative command execution on Cisco IOS XE devices can affect confidentiality, routing integrity, and service availability.
Technical view
CVE-2020-3219 is a CWE-77 command injection issue in the Cisco IOS XE Software Web UI. The source attributes it to insufficient validation of user input. CVSS 3.0 is 8.8, network reachable, low privileges required, no user interaction, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Known exposure from the bundle is Cisco IOS XE Software 16.1.1 with the Web UI available to authenticated users. The bundle does not prove other versions are affected, so teams should verify applicability against Cisco’s advisory and their device inventory.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV status or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires authenticated remote access to the Web UI, but successful exploitation could execute commands with administrative privileges on the device.
Researcher notes
The provided evidence supports authenticated remote command injection through the IOS XE Web UI, mapped to CWE-77. Details are insufficient to name exploit chains, broad affected ranges, or exact fixes beyond referring to Cisco’s advisory.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco’s advisory for fixed release or official workaround guidance.
- Inventory Cisco IOS XE devices and flag any running version 16.1.1.
- Restrict Web UI access to trusted management networks and authorized administrators.
- Review administrator accounts and remove unnecessary Web UI access.
- Prioritize remediation for internet-facing or broadly reachable management interfaces.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Cisco IOS XE Software 16.1.1 is present in the environment.
- Verify whether the Web UI is enabled on affected devices.
- Check management interface exposure from internet and internal networks.
- Review Cisco advisory guidance against installed device software versions.
- Inspect logs for unusual authenticated Web UI administrative activity.
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-77: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-3219 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20200603 Cisco IOS XE Software Web UI Command Injection 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.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.