A vulnerability in the enhanced Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) boot loader for Cisco IOS XR 64-bit Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute unsigned code during the PXE boot process on an affected device. The PXE boot loader is part of the BIOS and runs over the management interface of hardware platforms that are running Cisco IOS XR Software only. The vulnerability exists because internal commands that are issued when the PXE network boot process is loading a software image are not properly verified. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by compromising the PXE boot server and replacing a valid software image with a malicious one. Alternatively, the attacker could impersonate the PXE boot server and send a PXE boot reply with a malicious file. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute unsigned code on the affected device. Note: To fix this vulnerability, both the Cisco IOS XR Software and the BIOS must be upgraded. The BIOS code is included in Cisco IOS XR Software but might require additional installation steps. For further information, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.
CVE-2020-3284
This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 2.8%, top 15% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 9.8
- EG Score
- 9.8(medium)
- EG Risk
- 45(Track)EG Risk 45/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity98% × 45%Exploitation3% × 40%Automatability0% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS
- 84.8%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
November 6, 2020
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
Advisory Details (1)
Auto-updated Jun 8, 2026Cisco IOS XR Software Enhanced Preboot eXecution Environment Unsigned Code Execution Vulnerability
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxr-pxe-unsign-code-exec-qAa78fD2Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 14× in last 7d / 42× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-24 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-23 05:36 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-23 05:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-284
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- CVE-2010-5305EG 9.8EPSS 92%CRITICAL
- CVE-2015-9209EG 9.8CRITICAL
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- CVE-2014-10059EG 9.8CRITICAL
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- CVE-2013-0422EG 9.8 KEVEPSS 100%CRITICAL
Frequently asked(5)
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Dependency Blast Radius
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