CVE-2025-20182 in Adaptive Security Appliance Software
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2025
A vulnerability in the Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) protocol processing of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software, Cisco IOS Software, and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device.
This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation when processing IKEv2 messages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IKEv2 traffic to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition on the affected device.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-20182 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the Internet Key Exchange version 2 protocol implementation across multiple Cisco networking products including ASA, FTD, IOS, and IOS XE software platforms. This issue stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms during IKEv2 message processing, creating a pathway for remote exploitation without requiring authentication credentials. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security infrastructure components that establish and maintain secure communications through IPsec tunnels, making it particularly concerning for network security operations.
The technical flaw manifests in the insufficient validation of IKEv2 protocol messages received by affected Cisco devices, specifically within the processing logic that handles authentication and key exchange negotiations. When an attacker crafts and transmits specially formatted IKEv2 packets to a vulnerable device, the system fails to properly validate the incoming message parameters, leading to unexpected behavior in the protocol handler. This validation failure creates a condition where the device's IKEv2 processing module becomes unstable and eventually triggers a system reload or crash, effectively rendering the device unavailable to legitimate users and network services. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level, targeting the core cryptographic negotiation mechanisms that establish secure network connections.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to network availability and business continuity, particularly in environments where Cisco devices serve as critical security infrastructure. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can target vulnerable devices from anywhere on the network without requiring physical access or prior authentication, making it an attractive vector for malicious actors seeking to disrupt network services. The resulting device reload creates immediate service disruption, potentially affecting thousands of users depending on the network topology and device role within the infrastructure. Organizations may experience extended downtime while administrators investigate and implement mitigations, with potential cascading effects on dependent network services and applications.
Cisco has released software updates addressing this vulnerability through patches available in their security advisory releases, which include fixes for the input validation logic in the IKEv2 implementation. Network administrators should prioritize applying these patches to all affected devices and conduct thorough testing in non-production environments before deployment. Additional mitigations include implementing access control lists to restrict IKEv2 traffic to trusted sources, disabling unnecessary IKEv2 functionality when not required, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious IKEv2 packet patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes "Improper Input Validation" as a fundamental weakness in software design that allows malformed inputs to cause unexpected behavior. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving denial of service operations and protocol manipulation, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistent network disruption capabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation strategies to limit the attack surface and reduce the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts.