# CVE-2020-3601: Cisco StarOS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> An authenticated local attacker can execute arbitrary code with root privileges on Cisco ASR 5000 routers via crafted CLI commands.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.4 (`CVSS:3.1/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:** 8 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 13 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gfq9-6wmw-v68g

## What is CVE-2020-3601?

CVE-2020-3601 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco ASR 5000 Series Software, published on 8 Oct 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 of Cisco StarOS operating system for Cisco ASR 5000 Series Routers could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of CLI commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted commands to the CLI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the root user. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to have valid administrative credentials on an affected device.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-3601?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Staros.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-3601?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-3601 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-3601 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-3601 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco ASR 5000 Series Software

- [CVE-2023-20046](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20046/): Auth bypass in Cisco ASR 5000 Series Software (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-1869](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1869/): Cisco StarOS Denial of Service Vulnerability (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2018-0369](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0369/): Denial of service in Cisco StarOS unknown (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2017-6707](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6707/): Command injection in Cisco StarOS (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2021-1539](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1539/): Cisco ASR 5000 Series Software Authorization Bypass Vulnerabilities (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-3601 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-3601 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco ASR 5000 Series Software, published on 8 Oct 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-2020-3601 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco ASR 5000 Series Software. 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-2020-3601/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3601/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-3601
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3601
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-3601

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3601/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.