CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2020-3503

Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

Published: Sep 24, 2020 | Modified: Nov 07, 2023
CVSS 3.x
6
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CVSS 2.x
3.6 LOW
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

A vulnerability in the file system permissions of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to obtain read and write access to critical configuration or system files. The vulnerability is due to insufficient file system permissions on an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to an affected devices guest shell, and accessing or modifying restricted files. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view or modify restricted information or configurations that are normally not accessible to system administrators.

Weakness

The product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors.

Affected Software

Name Vendor Start Version End Version
Ios_xe Cisco 16.12.1 (including) 16.12.1 (including)

Potential Mitigations

  • Run the code in a “jail” or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software.
  • OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations.
  • This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise.
  • Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.

References