dbcve.org
Ios XrOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2024-20343

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 CLI of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to read any file in the file system of the underlying Linux operating system. The attacker must have valid credentials on the affected device. This vulnerability is due to incorrect validation of the arguments that are passed to a specific CLI command. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging in to an affected device with low-privileged credentials and using the affected command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker access files in read-only mode on the Linux file system.

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

A vulnerability in Cisco IOS XR Software CLI allows an authenticated, local attacker with low-privileged credentials to read arbitrary files from the underlying Linux operating system's file system. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of arguments passed to a specific CLI command, enabling read-only access to any file on the system.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patch or software update from Cisco to address the vulnerability. Additionally, limit local administrative access and follow least-privilege principles to reduce the attack surface.

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
Ios XrOperating system
Affected:= 6.5.1= 6.5.2= 6.5.3= 6.5.15= 6.5.92= 6.5.93= 6.6.1= 6.6.2= 6.6.3= 6.6.4= 6.6.11= 6.6.12

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Determine installed IOS XR version
    Run 'show version' in the IOS XR CLI or use 'admin show version' to display the software version. Compare the displayed version number against the affected versions: 6.5.1, 6.5.2, 6.5.3, 6.5.15, 6.5.92, 6.5.93, 6.6.1, 6.6.2, 6.6.3, 6.6.4, 6.6.11, 6.6.12.
    Affected if The installed version exactly matches any version in the affected list.
  2. Verify local authentication is enabled
    Check if local user accounts exist on the system by examining the configuration with 'show running-config | include username' or by reviewing AAA settings. Determine whether local authentication is permitted for CLI access.
    Affected if Local user accounts are configured and can authenticate to the IOS XR CLI.
  3. Confirm low-privileged account access
    Review user privilege levels by running 'show user' or 'show privilege' after logging in with a low-privileged account. Use 'show running-config | include username' to inspect assigned privilege levels.
    Affected if A user with low-privileged (non-admin) credentials can access the IOS XR CLI.

The system is affected if the installed Cisco IOS XR version matches any of the listed affected versions AND local authenticated access (even with low privileges) is possible.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patch or software update from Cisco to address the vulnerability. Additionally, limit local administrative access and follow least-privilege principles to reduce the attack surface.

Fix this in Ios Xr Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2024-20343 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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