Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw can make affected Cisco Catalyst 9000 wireless controllers reboot when they process specially crafted HTTP traffic for WLAN Local Profiling. The main business risk is wireless service interruption, not data theft. The attacker must be adjacent to the network, but no login or user interaction is required.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority availability issue for wireless infrastructure. It does not indicate confidentiality compromise, but a successful attack can interrupt connectivity. Prioritize sites where wireless uptime affects operations, customer access, or safety workflows.
Technical view
CVE-2020-3428 is an IOS XE Wireless Controller vulnerability in HTTP-based endpoint classification for WLAN Local Profiling. Incorrect HTTP packet parsing can let an unauthenticated adjacent attacker trigger a reboot, causing denial of service. CVSS is 7.4 with adjacent attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, and high availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to Cisco Catalyst 9000 Family wireless controller deployments running affected IOS XE software with WLAN Local Profiling performing HTTP-based endpoint device classification.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation requires adjacent network access and crafted HTTP traffic reaching the affected profiling path. Impact is controller reboot and service disruption.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports unauthenticated adjacent DoS via incorrect HTTP packet parsing during WLAN Local Profiling. The source bundle does not include affected IOS XE release ranges, proof-of-concept status, or specific workaround details, so validation should rely on Cisco advisory release guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco advisory guidance for affected releases, fixed software, and any supported workarounds.
- Apply Cisco-provided fixed software if the advisory confirms your release is vulnerable.
- Prioritize remediation for production wireless controllers supporting critical sites or high-density users.
- Limit untrusted adjacent access where feasible through wireless segmentation and admission controls.
- Monitor affected controllers for unexpected reloads until remediation is complete.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Catalyst 9000 wireless controllers and record IOS XE versions.
- Confirm whether WLAN Local Profiling is enabled on each controller.
- Compare installed releases with Cisco advisory affected and fixed release guidance.
- Review controller logs for unexpected reboot or crash events.
- Track remediation status by controller, site, and business criticality.
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
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-20: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-3428 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.4 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/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:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H2.84Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.4HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20200924 Cisco IOS XE Wireless Controller Software for the Catalyst 9000 Family WLAN Local Profiling Denial of Service 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 Input Validation
Improper Input Validation represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.