# CVE-2020-3205: Cisco IOS Software for Cisco Industrial Routers Virtual Device Server Inter-VM Channel Command Injection Vulnerability

> Unauthenticated adjacent attackers can execute arbitrary root commands on Cisco Industrial Routers via the Virtual Device Server inter-VM channel.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Jun 2020
- **Updated:** 15 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mx43-m6xq-87pq

## What is CVE-2020-3205?

CVE-2020-3205 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 3 Jun 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the implementation of the inter-VM channel of Cisco IOS Software for Cisco 809 and 829 Industrial Integrated Services Routers (Industrial ISRs) and Cisco 1000 Series Connected Grid Routers (CGR1000) could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to execute arbitrary shell commands on the Virtual Device Server (VDS) of an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of signaling packets that are destined to VDS. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands in the context of the Linux shell of VDS with the privileges of the root user. Because the device is designed on a hypervisor architecture, exploitation of a vulnerability that affects the inter-VM channel may lead to a complete system compromise. For more information about this vulnerability, see the Details section of this advisory.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-3205?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-3205?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-3205 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-3205 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-3205 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios

- [CVE-2017-12240](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-12240/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software DHCP Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-3881](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-3881/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-0167](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0167/): Cisco IOS, XR, and XE Software Buffer Overflow (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-6736](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6736/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software SNMP Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-6737](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6737/): Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software SNMP Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-3205 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-3205 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 3 Jun 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-3205 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Ios. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3205/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3205/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-3205
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3205
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-3205

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3205/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.