CVE-2020-3514
HIGHDescription
A vulnerability in the multi-instance feature of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to escape the container for their Cisco FTD instance and execute commands with root privileges in the host namespace. The attacker must have valid credentials on the device.The vulnerability exists because a configuration file that is used at container startup has insufficient protections. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying a specific container configuration file on the underlying file system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands with root privileges within the host namespace. This could allow the attacker to impact other running Cisco FTD instances or the host Cisco FXOS device.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 30% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-216 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2019-12674 | High | 8.2 | 0.4% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-12675 | High | 8.8 | 0.4% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-1911 | Medium | 5.3 | 0.3% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2020-3514?
Published advisories record a fix for 2 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2020-3514 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2020-3514 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.37% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 30% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2020-3514?
CVE-2020-3514 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.2, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2020-3514 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for firepower threat defense (NVD), secure firewall management center (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-08-11.