CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2020-3176 — Cisco Remote Phy 120 Firmware security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.2

A vulnerability in Cisco Remote PHY Device Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute commands on the underlying Linux shell of an affected device with root privileges. The vulnerability exists because the affected software does not properly sanitize user-supplied input. An attacker who has valid administrator access to an affected device could exploit this vulnerability by supplying certain CLI commands with crafted arguments. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to run arbitrary commands as the root user, which could result in a complete system compromise.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.2 (2.0)
Published
2020-03-04
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-77, CWE-78

Affected products

  • cisco / remote_phy_120_firmware
  • cisco / remote_phy_220_firmware
  • cisco / remote_phy_shelf_7200_firmware

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.