# CVE-2020-3476: Cisco IOS XE Software Arbitrary File Overwrite Vulnerability

> An authenticated local attacker can overwrite arbitrary files on the host file system via insufficient validation in a specific CLI command.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.4 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Sep 2020
- **Updated:** 13 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wmmw-33p5-2c6j

## What is CVE-2020-3476?

CVE-2020-3476 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 24 Sep 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 CLI implementation of a specific command of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files in the underlying host file system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of the parameters of a specific CLI command. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by issuing that command with specific parameters. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to overwrite the content of any arbitrary file that resides on the underlying host file system.

Weakness: CWE-552 (Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-3476?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-3476?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-3476 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-3476 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-3476 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-2020-3476 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-3476 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Ios, published on 24 Sep 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-2020-3476 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-2020-3476/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3476/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-3476
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3476
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-3476

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3476/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.