# CVE-2020-3229: Cisco IOS XE Software Web UI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> A Read-Only authenticated attacker can escalate privileges to Admin and execute CLI commands or configuration changes on Cisco IOS XE devices.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Jun 2020
- **Updated:** 15 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gffh-92vm-w5gf

## What is CVE-2020-3229?

CVE-2020-3229 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe, published on 3 Jun 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in Role Based Access Control (RBAC) functionality of Cisco IOS XE Web Management Software could allow a Read-Only authenticated, remote attacker to execute commands or configuration changes as an Admin user. The vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of RBAC for the administration GUI. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a modified HTTP request to the affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker as a Read-Only user to execute CLI commands or configuration changes as if they were an Admin user.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-3229?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios Xe.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-3229?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-3229 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-3229 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-3229 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios Xe

- [CVE-2023-20198](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20198/): Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-0151](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0151/): Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software Quality of Service Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-20273](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20273/): Cisco IOS XE Web UI Command Injection (high 7.2, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-20188](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20188/): Hardcoded credentials in Cisco IOS XE Software (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-34770](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34770/): Cisco IOS XE Software for Catalyst 9000 Family Wireless Controllers CAPWAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-3229 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-3229 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe, published on 3 Jun 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-3229 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Ios Xe. 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-2020-3229/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3229/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-3229
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3229
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-3229

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3229/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.