CVE-2020-3338
Cisco NX-OS Software IPv6 Protocol Independent Multicast Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) feature for IPv6 networks (PIM6) of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper error handling when processing inbound PIM6 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending multiple crafted PIM6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the PIM6 application to leak system memory. Over time, this memory leak could cause the PIM6 application to stop processing legitimate PIM6 traffic, leading to a DoS condition on the affected 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 NX-OS Software IPv6 Protocol Independent Multicast Denial of Service Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) feature for IPv6 networks (PIM6) of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper error handling when processing inbound PIM6 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending multiple crafted PIM6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the PIM6 application to leak system memory. Over time, this memory leak could cause the PIM6 application to stop processing legitimate PIM6 traffic, leading to a DoS condition on the affected device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3338- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-404
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-24609
A vulnerability in the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) feature for IPv6 networks (PIM6) of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper error handling when processing inbound PIM6 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending multiple crafted PIM6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the PIM6 application to leak system memory. Over time, this memory leak could cause the PIM6 application to stop processing legitimate PIM6 traffic, leading to a DoS condition on the affected device.
- Record
EUVD-2020-24609- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-h3fx-mx5w-cwrx No score
A vulnerability in the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) feature for IPv6 networks (PIM6) of...
A vulnerability in the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) feature for IPv6 networks (PIM6) of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper error handling when processing inbound PIM6 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending multiple crafted PIM6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the PIM6 application to leak system memory. Over time, this memory leak could cause the PIM6 application to stop processing legitimate PIM6 traffic, leading to a DoS condition on the affected device.
- Record
GHSA-h3fx-mx5w-cwrx- Weakness
- CWE-755
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
A vulnerability in the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) feature for IPv6 networks (PIM6) of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper error handling when processing inbound PIM6 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending multiple crafted PIM6 packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the PIM6 application to leak system memory. Over time, this memory leak could cause the PIM6 application to stop processing legitimate PIM6 traffic, leading to a DoS condition on the affected device.
- Record
CVE-2020-3338- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-404, CWE-755
- 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-2020-3338 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Cisco Nx-os, published August 27, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.78%, the 78th percentile. No source names a fixed version.