A vulnerability in the file system on the pluggable USB 3.0 Solid State Drive (SSD) for Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, physical attacker to remove the USB 3.0 SSD and modify sensitive areas of the file system, including the namespace container protections. The vulnerability occurs because the USB 3.0 SSD control data is not stored on the internal boot flash. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by removing the USB 3.0 SSD, modifying or deleting files on the USB 3.0 SSD by using another device, and then reinserting the USB 3.0 SSD on the original device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to remove container protections and perform file actions outside the namespace of the container with root privileges.
This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.8, with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), for affected systems. Impacting 56 products from cisco, from cisco, from cisco and 53 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2020, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2020-09-24T18:15:17.683
2024-11-21T05:30:56.857
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 6.8 (MEDIUM)
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
3.4
10.0
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For cisco's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.