CVE-2025-20306 in Firepower Management Center
Summary
by MITRE • 08/14/2025
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with Administrator-level privileges to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system.
This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of certain HTTP request parameters that are sent to the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the interface and sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands as the root user on the affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need Administrator-level credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-20306 represents a critical command execution flaw within Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software that demonstrates a fundamental weakness in input validation controls. This issue exists within the web-based management interface component of the security appliance, specifically targeting the handling of HTTP request parameters that are processed by the underlying operating system. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it requires only authenticated access with Administrator-level privileges, which significantly reduces the attack surface compared to vulnerabilities requiring initial compromise of authentication mechanisms.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization and validation of user-supplied input parameters within the HTTP request processing pipeline. When administrators interact with the web interface, certain parameters are passed through HTTP requests to the backend systems where they are subsequently processed without sufficient validation controls. This failure in input validation creates an environment where maliciously crafted parameters can bypass normal security controls and directly influence system execution. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which specifically addresses "Improper Input Validation" and represents a classic example of how insufficient parameter sanitization can lead to privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and potentially devastating for organizations relying on Cisco FMC for their security infrastructure management. An attacker with Administrator credentials can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges, effectively providing complete system compromise. This level of access allows for full system control including but not limited to data exfiltration, modification of security policies, installation of backdoors, and disruption of security operations. The attack vector is particularly dangerous as it operates entirely within the legitimate administrative interface, making detection more challenging and potentially allowing attackers to remain undetected while establishing persistent access to the network security infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches released by Cisco to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and strict access controls should be enforced to limit the scope of potential exploitation, ensuring that only authorized personnel have Administrator access to the FMC interface. Monitoring and logging of administrative activities should be enhanced to detect suspicious command execution patterns, while implementing principle of least privilege to minimize the number of users with Administrator credentials. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of following ATT&CK framework guidance for defensive measures, particularly focusing on privilege escalation techniques and command and control operations that attackers might employ through such vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patched systems to ensure that the vulnerability is fully resolved without introducing regressions in functionality.