Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2020-3478 affects Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software. An authenticated remote user could abuse the REST API to overwrite files that should be protected, potentially disrupting the device or altering its behavior. The issue is high severity because it can affect integrity and availability, but the source bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority remediation item for NFVIS environments because successful abuse can degrade network virtualization infrastructure. Prioritize exposed management interfaces, shared administrative environments, and systems supporting critical connectivity. Do not assume broader Cisco exposure without evidence.
Technical view
The vulnerability is insufficient authorization enforcement in the Cisco NFVIS REST API. With low privileges and network access, an attacker could upload files and overwrite restricted files. CVSS 3.1 is 8.1: network exploitable, low complexity, privileges required, no user interaction, high integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to organizations running Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software, especially where REST API access is available to authenticated users over management networks. The bundle does not provide affected version ranges, internet exposure data, or deployment prevalence.
Exploitation context
The source bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires authentication and REST API reachability. Business impact is mainly disruption or unauthorized system file changes, not data disclosure based on the provided CVSS vector.
Researcher notes
The bundle lacks fixed-version details and Cisco advisory text beyond the reference, so remediation should be tied directly to Cisco’s advisory. The CVSS vector indicates no confidentiality impact, but high integrity and availability impact. No exploit code, public exploitation, or KEV listing is evidenced here.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all Cisco Enterprise NFVIS deployments and owners.
- Review Cisco advisory for affected and fixed release guidance.
- Apply Cisco-recommended software updates when applicable.
- Restrict REST API access to trusted management networks.
- Review accounts with NFVIS REST API access and remove unnecessary privileges.
- Monitor NFVIS systems for unexpected file or configuration changes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Cisco Enterprise NFVIS is present in the environment.
- Check running NFVIS versions against Cisco advisory guidance.
- Verify REST API exposure is limited to approved management paths.
- Review logs for unusual authenticated REST API file upload activity.
- Confirm update or compensating-control status in vulnerability tracking.
- Document any unknown version or unsupported device for remediation planning.
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-20: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-3478 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
- 8.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H2.85.2Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20200902 Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software File Overwrite 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.