CVEs / CVE-2020-3161
CVE-2020-3161: Cisco IP Phones Web Server Remote Code Execution and Denial-of-Service Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 3 Nov 2021
- critical 9.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 83.8% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
Cisco IP Phones contain an improper input validation vulnerability for HTTP requests. Exploitation could allow an attacker to execute code remotely with root privileges or cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.
Description
A vulnerability in the web server for Cisco IP Phones could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute code with root privileges or cause a reload of an affected IP phone, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation of HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web server of a targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to remotely execute code with root privileges or cause a reload of an affected IP phone, resulting in a DoS condition.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco Cisco IP phone | n/a | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 3 Nov 2021 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 3 May 2022 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | Apply updates per vendor instructions. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.8 criticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-20 |
References
- CVE-2020-3161 on NVD
- CVE-2020-3161 in the CISA KEV catalog
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157265/Cisco-IP-Phone-11.7-Denial-Of-Service.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-voip-phones-rce-dos-rB6EeRXs Vendor Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-3161 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.