How severe is CVE-2020-3216?

CVE-2020-3216 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-3216 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (35th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-3216?

CVE-2020-3216 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe Sd-wan. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-3216?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-3216 published?

CVE-2020-3216 was published on 2020-06-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-3216

CVE-2020-3216 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe Sd-wan with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (35th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Cisco Ios Xe Sd-wan
Published: 2020-06-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to bypass authentication and gain unrestricted access to the root shell of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because the affected software has insufficient authentication mechanisms for certain commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by stopping the boot initialization of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass authentication and gain unrestricted access to the root shell of the affected device.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-3216?: A vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to bypass authentication and gain unrestricted access to the root shell of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because the affected software has insufficient authentication mechanisms for certain commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by stopping the boot initialization of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass authentication and gain unrestricted access to the root shell of the affected device.
How severe is CVE-2020-3216?: CVE-2020-3216 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-3216 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (35th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-3216?: CVE-2020-3216 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe Sd-wan. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-3216?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-3216 published?: CVE-2020-3216 was published on 2020-06-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-auth-b-NzwhJHH7

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan:16.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan:16.9.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan:16.9.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan:16.9.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan:16.9.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan:16.10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan:16.10.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

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