CVE-2020-3161

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8—
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 9.8 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. NVD baseline CVSS 9.8 retained for reference. Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: cisa_kev, epss, ghsa, nvd
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild
9.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV)
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 84%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: cisa kev · ssvc active · epss top5pct · epss high · public exploitExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

A vulnerability in the web server for Cisco IP Phones could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute code with root privileges or cause a reload of an affected IP phone, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation of HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web server of a targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to remotely execute code with root privileges or cause a reload of an affected IP phone, resulting in a DoS condition.

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8(high)
EG Risk
99(Act)
EG Risk 99/100SSVC: Act

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 computed
Severity98% × 45%
Exploitation100% × 40%
Automatability100% × 15%
Action: Fix now — active exploitation, automatable, high impact.
EPSS PROB
84%
EPSS %ILE
100%
KEV
⚠ Exploited

Published

April 15, 2020

Last Modified

October 28, 2025

Advisory Details (3)

Auto-updated Aug 20, 2026
⚠️ Active exploitation confirmed. Patch available. Sources: cisa.
cisa Patch Available🔴 Active Exploitation

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA. Listed in CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-3161
generic🟡 PoC Available

Cisco IP Phones Web Server Remote Code Execution and Denial of Service Vulnerability

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-voip-phones-rce-dos-rB6EeRXs
generic

Locked Out | Packet Storm

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157265/Cisco-IP-Phone-11.7-Denial-Of-Service.html

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 49× in last 7d / 188× 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.

Showing the most recent 100 of 542 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-08-21 11:53 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-08-21 07:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  3. 2026-08-21 03:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-08-20 22:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
  5. 2026-08-20 18:36 UTCGHSA enrichment
  6. 2026-08-20 17:06 UTCCISA KEV update
  7. 2026-08-20 14:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-08-20 10:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-08-20 05:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-08-20 01:23 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-08-19 21:05 UTCEG score recompute
  12. 2026-08-19 21:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  13. 2026-08-19 17:33 UTCCISA KEV update
  14. 2026-08-19 17:00 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-08-19 16:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-08-19 12:26 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-08-19 08:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-08-19 03:48 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-08-18 23:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-08-18 19:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-08-18 16:58 UTCCISA KEV update
  22. 2026-08-18 14:53 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-08-18 10:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  24. 2026-08-18 06:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-08-18 01:58 UTCGHSA enrichment
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-08-17 21:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-08-17 17:20 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-08-17 17:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-08-17 13:56 UTCCISA KEV update
  5. 2026-08-17 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-08-17 13:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-08-17 08:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-08-17 04:24 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-08-17 00:06 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-08-16 19:48 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-08-16 15:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-08-16 11:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
  13. 2026-08-16 06:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-08-16 02:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  15. 2026-08-15 22:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-08-15 17:58 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-08-15 13:40 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-08-15 09:22 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-08-15 05:04 UTCEG score recompute
  20. 2026-08-15 05:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-08-15 01:26 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-08-15 00:45 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-08-14 20:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  24. 2026-08-14 16:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-08-14 11:51 UTCGHSA enrichment
  26. 2026-08-14 07:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  27. 2026-08-14 03:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
  28. 2026-08-13 22:56 UTCEG score recompute
  29. 2026-08-13 22:56 UTCGHSA enrichment
  30. 2026-08-13 21:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  31. 2026-08-13 18:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
  32. 2026-08-13 14:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  33. 2026-08-13 10:01 UTCGHSA enrichment
  34. 2026-08-13 05:43 UTCGHSA enrichment
  35. 2026-08-13 01:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
  36. 2026-08-12 21:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  37. 2026-08-12 16:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  38. 2026-08-12 12:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  39. 2026-08-12 08:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  40. 2026-08-12 03:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
  41. 2026-08-11 23:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  42. 2026-08-11 19:32 UTCCISA KEV update
  43. 2026-08-11 19:17 UTCGHSA enrichment
  44. 2026-08-11 14:59 UTCEG score recompute
  45. 2026-08-11 14:59 UTCGHSA enrichment
  46. 2026-08-11 10:40 UTCGHSA enrichment
  47. 2026-08-11 06:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  48. 2026-08-11 02:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  49. 2026-08-10 21:45 UTCGHSA enrichment
  50. 2026-08-10 17:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  51. 2026-08-10 13:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  52. 2026-08-10 08:51 UTCGHSA enrichment
  53. 2026-08-10 04:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  54. 2026-08-10 00:15 UTCGHSA enrichment
  55. 2026-08-09 19:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  56. 2026-08-09 15:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  57. 2026-08-09 11:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  58. 2026-08-09 07:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  59. 2026-08-09 02:45 UTCGHSA enrichment
  60. 2026-08-08 22:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  61. 2026-08-08 18:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  62. 2026-08-08 13:51 UTCGHSA enrichment
  63. 2026-08-08 09:32 UTCGHSA enrichment
  64. 2026-08-08 05:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
  65. 2026-08-08 00:56 UTCGHSA enrichment
  66. 2026-08-07 20:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
  67. 2026-08-07 17:09 UTCCISA KEV update
  68. 2026-08-07 16:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  69. 2026-08-07 12:02 UTCGHSA enrichment
  70. 2026-08-07 07:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  71. 2026-08-07 03:26 UTCGHSA enrichment
  72. 2026-08-06 23:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
  73. 2026-08-06 18:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  74. 2026-08-06 14:31 UTCEG score recompute
  75. 2026-08-06 14:31 UTCGHSA enrichment

Publicly available exploits

(1 reference)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-48342
    First seen Apr 17, 2020

    Cisco IP Phone 11.7 - Denial of service (PoC)

    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2020-3161?
CVE-2020-3161 is a critical vulnerability published on April 15, 2020. A vulnerability in the web server for Cisco IP Phones could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute code with root privileges or cause a reload of an affected IP phone, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation of…
When was CVE-2020-3161 disclosed?
CVE-2020-3161 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on April 15, 2020, with the most recent update on October 28, 2025. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2020-3161 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2020-3161 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on November 3, 2021, affecting Cisco Cisco IP Phones. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate patching attention.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-3161?
CVE-2020-3161 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).
Which products are affected by CVE-2020-3161?
CVE-2020-3161 affects Cisco Cisco IP Phones. The full affected-products list, including version ranges and fixed versions, is shown in the Affected Packages section of this page.
How do I remediate CVE-2020-3161?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2020-3161, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

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