Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a logged-in local CLI user on Cisco IOS XR bypass task group authorization and gain full administrative control. Business urgency is high where many operators, support accounts, or jump-host users can reach network-device CLI access.
Executive priority
Prioritize for network infrastructure where CLI access is shared, outsourced, or broadly delegated. A successful abuse path can give full device control, affecting traffic handling, availability, and trust in network administration.
Technical view
Cisco describes incorrect source-code mapping of a specific CLI command to task groups. An authenticated local CLI shell user could use that command to bypass task group checks, elevating privileges and performing unauthorized actions on the device. CVSS is 7.8 with local attack vector, low privileges, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Cisco IOS XR Software deployments with authenticated local CLI shell access. The supplied bundle does not identify affected or fixed versions, so teams must compare inventory against Cisco’s advisory.
Exploitation context
The bundle shows no CISA KEV listing and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires prior authenticated local CLI access, making insider misuse, compromised operator credentials, or weak administrative segmentation the main concerns.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are local access and prior authentication. The provided data does not name the specific CLI command, affected releases, exploit availability, or fixed versions. Avoid assuming broader Cisco platforms are affected without Cisco advisory confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco advisory for affected IOS XR releases and fixed software guidance.
- Inventory all Cisco IOS XR devices and administrative access paths.
- Restrict CLI shell access to trusted operational roles only.
- Enforce AAA, least privilege, and strong credential controls for device operators.
- Monitor for unexpected privileged configuration or administration activity.
Validation and detection
- Map each IOS XR device version against Cisco advisory applicability.
- Review local CLI users, roles, and task group assignments.
- Confirm administrative access requires approved AAA controls.
- Review device logs for unexpected privilege changes or configuration actions.
- After remediation, verify affected devices follow Cisco guidance.
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
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CWE-264: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-3473 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
- 7.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20200902 Cisco IOS XR Software Authenticated User Privilege Escalation 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.
Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.