CVE-2020-3228
Cisco IOS, IOS XE, and NX-OS Software Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol (SXP) in Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XE Software, and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because crafted SXP packets are mishandled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted SXP packets to the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- 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, IOS XE, and NX-OS Software Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol (SXP) in Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XE Software, and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because crafted SXP packets are mishandled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted SXP packets to the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition.
- Record
CVE-2020-3228- CVSS 3.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-24499
A vulnerability in Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol (SXP) in Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XE Software, and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because crafted SXP packets are mishandled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted SXP packets to the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition.
- Record
EUVD-2020-24499- CVSS 3.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-cp9x-q25f-c3q9
A vulnerability in Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol (SXP) in Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XE...
A vulnerability in Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol (SXP) in Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XE Software, and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because crafted SXP packets are mishandled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted SXP packets to the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition.
- Record
GHSA-cp9x-q25f-c3q9- 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 Security Group Tag Exchange Protocol (SXP) in Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XE Software, and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability exists because crafted SXP packets are mishandled. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted SXP packets to the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition.
- Record
CVE-2020-3228- 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
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/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-2020-3228 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.8) in Cisco Ios, published June 3, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.85%, the 79th percentile. No source names a fixed version.