Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:NCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2024-20489 is a high-severity Plaintext Storage of a Password (CWE-256) vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xr. Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Steganography (T1001.002); ranked at the 3th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-28 (Protection of Information at Rest) and SC-8 (Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-18204
Vulnerability Data
A vulnerability in the storage method of the PON Controller configuration file could allow an authenticated, local attacker with low privileges to obtain the MongoDB credentials. This vulnerability is due to improper storage of the unencrypted database credentials on the…
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device that is running Cisco IOS XR Software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the configuration files on an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view MongoDB credentials.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requiring confidentiality protection of information at rest directly stops passwords from being stored in plaintext.
Transmission confidentiality and integrity enforcement stops credentials from being sent in plaintext or without protection.
Authenticator management requires secure generation, storage, and distribution of credentials, directly stopping insecure methods.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Credential management practices normally include secure storage requirements for passwords.
Encryption and hashing of data-at-rest directly prevent plaintext password storage in files.
Protecting data-in-use can limit exposure of passwords held in memory.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
A.5.10 only requires awareness, a topic-specific acceptable-use policy stating expected behaviours/monitoring, and procedures referencing other controls (e.g. access restrictions, marking, disposal); it performs none of the verb on CWE-522's insecure credential transmission/storage, which requires technical protections like encryption or secure channels that this governance clause does not supply.
Directly requires secure handling and protection of authentication information, preventing plaintext password storage.
Hardening callouts derived
DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.