Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Cisco DCNM could let a remote unauthenticated attacker act as an administrator through its REST API. The issue comes from installations sharing a static encryption key, allowing forged session trust. If DCNM is exposed, this is a control-plane risk to data center network management.
Executive priority
Prioritize urgently if Cisco DCNM is present. This is not a user phishing issue; it can grant administrative control remotely without credentials. Reduce exposure immediately while confirming Cisco-supported remediation.
Technical view
CVE-2020-3382 is an authentication bypass in Cisco Data Center Network Manager REST API. The CVE states shared static encryption keys across installations allow a valid session token to be crafted, enabling arbitrary REST API actions with administrative privileges. It is rated CVSS 9.8 critical and maps to CWE-798.
Likely exposure
Organizations running Cisco Data Center Network Manager are potentially exposed, especially where the REST API is reachable from untrusted networks. The source bundle does not provide affected version ranges or CPEs, so exposure must be confirmed against Cisco’s advisory and local inventory.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The attack is remote, unauthenticated, low complexity, and can lead to full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact if an affected DCNM REST API is reachable.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports critical severity and authentication bypass mechanics. Affected versions and fix details are not included in the prompt beyond the Cisco advisory reference. KEV is false, so do not state active exploitation without additional cited evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco’s advisory for affected and fixed DCNM releases.
- Upgrade or remediate according to Cisco’s vendor guidance.
- Restrict DCNM REST API access to trusted administration networks.
- Remove any internet exposure for DCNM management interfaces.
- Monitor for unexpected administrative API activity.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all Cisco DCNM deployments and versions.
- Compare each deployment against Cisco’s advisory applicability.
- Confirm REST API access is limited to trusted networks.
- Review logs for unexpected administrator-level REST API actions.
- Verify remediation through change records and post-fix version checks.
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-798: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. 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 lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-3382 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20200729 Cisco Data Center Network Manager Authentication Bypass 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.
Use of Hard-coded Credentials
Use of Hard-coded Credentials represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.