CVE-2020-3221
Cisco IOS XE Software Flexible NetFlow Version 9 Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet processor of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of parameters in a Flexible NetFlow Version 9 record. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet to the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) data port of an affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker to trigger an infinite loop, resulting in a process crash that would cause a reload of the device.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Cisco IOS XE Software Flexible NetFlow Version 9 Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet processor of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of parameters in a Flexible NetFlow Version 9 record. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet to the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) data port of an affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker to trigger an infinite loop, resulting in a process crash that would cause a reload of the device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3221- CVSS 3.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-24492
A vulnerability in the Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet processor of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of parameters in a Flexible NetFlow Version 9 record. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet to the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) data port of an affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker to trigger an infinite loop, resulting in a process crash that would cause a reload of the device.
- Record
EUVD-2020-24492- CVSS 3.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-q65h-8wrc-fm43
A vulnerability in the Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet processor of Cisco IOS XE Software for...
A vulnerability in the Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet processor of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of parameters in a Flexible NetFlow Version 9 record. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet to the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) data port of an affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker to trigger an infinite loop, resulting in a process crash that would cause a reload of the device.
- Record
GHSA-q65h-8wrc-fm43- CVSS 3.1
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
A vulnerability in the Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet processor of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of parameters in a Flexible NetFlow Version 9 record. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malformed Flexible NetFlow Version 9 packet to the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) data port of an affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker to trigger an infinite loop, resulting in a process crash that would cause a reload of the device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3221- CVSS 3.1
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 8.6 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 7.8 High
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-3221 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.6) in Cisco Ios Xe, published June 3, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.51%, the 74th percentile. No source names a fixed version.