CVE-2020-3238: Cisco IOx Application Framework Arbitrary File Creation Vulnerability

Severity: high (CVSS 8.1 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 1.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-06-03 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-20

Description

A vulnerability in the Cisco Application Framework component of the Cisco IOx application environment could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to write or modify arbitrary files in the virtual instance that is running on the affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of user-supplied application packages. An attacker who can upload a malicious package within Cisco IOx could exploit the vulnerability to modify arbitrary files. The impacts of a successful exploit are limited to the scope of the virtual instance and do not affect the device that is hosting Cisco IOx.

Affected products

Cisco IOx: before 1.9.0 — fixed in 1.9.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Cisco IOx 1.9.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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