IoxApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-3238
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability in the Cisco Application Framework component of the Cisco IOx application environment could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to write or modify arbitrary files in the virtual instance that is running on the affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of user-supplied application packages. An attacker who can upload a malicious package within Cisco IOx could exploit the vulnerability to modify arbitrary files. The impacts of a successful exploit are limited to the scope of the virtual instance and do not affect the device that is hosting Cisco IOx.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA vulnerability in Cisco Application Framework (part of Cisco IOx) allows an authenticated remote attacker to write or modify arbitrary files within a virtual instance due to insufficient input validation of user-supplied application packages. An attacker who can upload a malicious package to Cisco IOx can exploit this to modify files in the virtual instance, though the host device itself is not affected.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
IoxApplication
< 1.9.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Cisco IOx is installedCheck for the presence of the IOx application framework by examining system services or running 'show iox' command on Cisco devices that support IOx (like Cisco IR1101, Cisco 1000 Series routers, or Cisco Industrial Ethernet switches)Affected if Cisco IOx is present on the device and its version is below 1.9.0
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Check the installed Cisco IOx versionRun 'show version' or 'show iox' command to display the IOx version information, or check the package version through the IOx Local Manager web interface under the System Settings or About sectionAffected if The displayed version number is lower than 1.9.0 (for example, 1.7.x, 1.8.x)
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Verify if remote application package upload is enabledCheck the IOx configuration by running 'show iox' or accessing the IOx Local Manager (typically at https://<device-ip>/iox) and reviewing the application deployment settings to see if package upload functionality is availableAffected if The package upload/upload application feature is enabled and accessible to authenticated users
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Review recently uploaded application packagesUse the IOx Local Manager web interface to list all uploaded applications, or run 'show iox-app' commands to view deployed applications and their package details, noting any unknown or suspicious package namesAffected if There are application packages present that were not uploaded by an authorized administrator
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Inspect virtual instance file systems for unauthorized modificationsIf you have access to running virtual instances, examine the file system of those instances for unexpected or newly created files, particularly in system directories or configuration pathsAffected if Unexpected files exist or recent modifications are found in the virtual instance file system that were not performed by legitimate administrators
A device is affected if it runs Cisco IOx version below 1.9.0 and has the application package upload feature accessible to authenticated users, allowing potential injection of malicious packages.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data1.9.0
Implement proper input validation and sanitization for application packages uploaded to Cisco IOx to prevent directory traversal and arbitrary file write operations. Restrict and carefully audit who can upload application packages.
Fix this in Iox
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3238 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-3238 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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