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Enterprise Nfv Infrastructure SoftwareApplication · Cisco

CVE-2020-3470

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-11-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.2.11.3 / 4.4.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Multiple vulnerabilities in the API subsystem of Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with root privileges. The vulnerabilities are due to improper boundary checks for certain user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by sending a crafted HTTP request to the API subsystem of an affected system. When this request is processed, an exploitable buffer overflow condition may occur. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with root privileges on the underlying operating system (OS).

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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerabilities in the API subsystem of Cisco Integrated Management Controller allow unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with root privileges via crafted HTTP requests. The flaws stem from improper boundary checks on user-supplied input processed by the API subsystem.

MitigationApply Cisco security patches for IMC when available; if patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the IMC management interface using network segmentation or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted networks only.

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
Enterprise Nfv Infrastructure SoftwareApplication
Affected:< 4.4.1
Integrated Management ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 4.0\(1a\), <= 4.0\(4l\)>= 3.0\(1c\), <= 3.0\(4q\)>= 4.0\(1a\), <= 4.0\(2l\)>= 4.1\(1c\), <= 4.1\(1f\)< 3.2.11.3>= 3.1, <= 4.0\(4l\)

CVSS 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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Cisco IMC is present
    Access the system via SSH or console and run 'show imc version' or 'show version' to identify the Cisco Integrated Management Controller software. Alternatively, check the web UI login page for Cisco IMC branding.
    Affected if The system is running Cisco Integrated Management Controller or Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software.
  2. Determine the IMC software version
    Run the command 'show imc version' in the IMC CLI or check the web UI under 'About' or 'Administration > Utilities > About' to obtain the exact version string.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the affected ranges: any version < 4.4.1 for NFVI; or for IMC: 3.0(1c) through 3.0(4q), 4.0(1a) through 4.0(4l), 4.0(1a) through 4.0(2l), 4.1(1c) through 4.1(1f), any version < 3.2.11.3, or 3.1 through 4.0(4l).
  3. Verify the API subsystem is accessible
    Attempt an HTTP or HTTPS request to the IMC management IP at paths such as /api or /redfish to confirm the API endpoint responds. This can be done with curl: curl -k https://<imc-ip>/api
    Affected if The API subsystem responds to HTTP/HTTPS requests, indicating it is enabled and reachable.
  4. Confirm network exposure of IMC management interface
    Check the network configuration via 'show network' or the web UI under Network > IP to determine if the IMC interface is bound to a routable IP address accessible from untrusted networks.
    Affected if The IMC management interface has an IP address in a network accessible from untrusted or public networks, rather than being isolated behind a firewall or ACL.

The environment is affected if the system runs a vulnerable version of Cisco IMC or Cisco Enterprise NFVI software within the specified ranges and the API interface is network-accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.2.11.3 / 4.4.1 or later
Fixed in 3.2.11.34.4.1
Interim mitigation

Apply Cisco security patches for IMC when available; if patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the IMC management interface using network segmentation or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted networks only.

Fix this in Enterprise Nfv Infrastructure Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-3470 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data