Catalyst CenterApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-3411
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 Cisco DNA Center software could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker access to sensitive information on an affected system. The vulnerability is due to improper handling of authentication tokens by the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker access to sensitive device information, which includes configuration files.
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 · moderate confidenceCisco DNA Center contains an authentication bypass vulnerability where improper handling of authentication tokens allows unauthenticated remote attackers to send crafted HTTP requests and access sensitive device configuration files. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of authentication tokens in the HTTP request processing.
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
Catalyst CenterApplication
>= 1.3, < 1.3.1.4CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 the installed Cisco DNA Center versionLog into the Cisco DNA Center web interface and navigate to the System > Settings > About page, or use the CLI command 'show version' to retrieve the current software versionAffected if The displayed version falls within the range >= 1.3 and < 1.3.1.4
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Confirm the product is Cisco DNA CenterVerify the product name in the About page or welcome screen of the web interface - the vulnerability affects Cisco DNA Center (now renamed to Cisco Catalyst Center)Affected if The product is confirmed as Cisco DNA Center or Cisco Catalyst Center running an affected version
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Determine if the HTTP management interface is externally accessibleReview network firewall rules and access control lists to check whether the Cisco DNA Center management IP address is reachable from untrusted networks on HTTP/HTTPS ports (typically ports 443, 8080)Affected if The management interface is reachable from untrusted or public networks, allowing the crafted HTTP requests described in the CVE to reach the vulnerable service
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Check for unauthorized access or configuration file exposureReview Cisco DNA Center audit logs and system logs for unusual or unexpected API calls to configuration endpoints, particularly requests that may have accessed sensitive device configuration files without valid authenticationAffected if Log evidence shows unauthenticated or anomalous HTTP requests accessing sensitive configuration data, or configuration files have been accessed without corresponding valid authentication tokens
You are affected if Cisco DNA Center or Cisco Catalyst Center is installed with a version >= 1.3 and < 1.3.1.4, and the management interface is network-accessible to potential attackers.
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 data1.3.1.4
Apply the Cisco-provided patch for CVE-2020-3411 when available. Implement network segmentation and restrict access to Cisco DNA Center management interfaces to trusted IP addresses as an interim control.
Fix this in Catalyst Center
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,760.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3411 — 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-2020-3411 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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