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Iot Field Network DirectorApplication · Cisco

CVE-2020-3531

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-11-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.6.1 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
A vulnerability in the REST API of Cisco IoT Field Network Director (FND) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the back-end database of an affected system. The vulnerability exists because the affected software does not properly authenticate REST API calls. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by obtaining a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) token and then using the token with REST API requests. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access the back-end database of the affected device and read, alter, or drop information.

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 confidence

Cisco IoT Field Network Director has an authentication bypass vulnerability in its REST API. The software fails to properly authenticate REST API calls, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to obtain a CSRF token and then use it to make unauthorized REST API requests. This grants access to the back-end database where the attacker can read, modify, or delete data.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Cisco for CVE-2020-3531 immediately. Until patched, restrict network access to the FND REST API to trusted sources 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
Iot Field Network DirectorApplication
Affected:< 4.6.1

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. Confirm Cisco IoT Field Network Director is installed
    Locate and identify the Cisco IoT Field Network Director installation in your environment
    Affected if The product is present and has not been patched to version 4.6.1 or later
  2. Determine the installed version
    Use the product's administrative interface, command-line tools, or version-checking mechanism to identify the current installed version of Cisco IoT Field Network Director
    Affected if The installed version is below 4.6.1 (any version prior to 4.6.1)
  3. Verify REST API exposure
    Check the product configuration to determine if the REST API interface is enabled and accessible on network interfaces
    Affected if The REST API is enabled and reachable from network locations outside trusted administrative segments
  4. Inspect API access logs
    Review Cisco IoT Field Network Director logs for REST API calls, specifically looking for CSRF token requests or API actions originating from unauthenticated or unexpected IP addresses
    Affected if Logs show REST API calls using CSRF tokens obtained without prior valid authentication, or API operations from unrecognized sources

You are affected if Cisco IoT Field Network Director is running and the installed version is below 4.6.1 with the REST API accessible to untrusted networks.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.6.1 or later
Fixed in 4.6.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from Cisco for CVE-2020-3531 immediately. Until patched, restrict network access to the FND REST API to trusted sources only.

Recommended fix High confidence

4.6.1

  1. 1. Back up the current Cisco IoT Field Network Director configuration and database.
  2. 2. Review Cisco release notes and upgrade documentation for version 4.6.1.
  3. 3. Download Cisco IoT Field Network Director version 4.6.1 or later from the Cisco software download page.
  4. 4. Execute the upgrade following Cisco's standard FND upgrade procedures.
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the FND web interface and confirming REST API authentication is now required.
  6. 6. Validate that the REST API endpoints properly require authentication before allowing access.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Iot Field Network Director Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,840
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,144.

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-2020-3531 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data