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% (37th 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% (37th 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% (37th 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:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios Xe Sd-wan

CVE-2021-34727 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A vulnerability in the vDaemon process in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker…
CVE-2021-1619 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A vulnerability in the authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) function of Cisco IOS XE Software could…
CVE-2021-1301 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco SD-WAN products could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute attacks…
CVE-2021-1300 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco SD-WAN products could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute attacks…
CVE-2020-3375 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A vulnerability in Cisco SD-WAN Solution Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buffer…
CVE-2021-1305 — High (CVSS 8.8): Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an…

All CVEs affecting Cisco Ios Xe Sd-wan →

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-20317 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco Secure Workload engineering…
CVE-2026-19977 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability was detected in EFM ipTIME A3004T 14.19.0. The affected element is the function…
CVE-2026-59500 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): CWE-287: Improper Authentication
CVE-2024-27253 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): IBM DOORS Next 7.0.3 through 7.0.3 Interim Fix 018 could allow an authenticated user to bypass security logic to…
CVE-2026-56162 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure SQL Database allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
CVE-2026-62825 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Key Vault allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.

Browse all CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities →