Cisco IOS XR up to 7.8.23 Boot Process signature verification

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability described as critical has been identified in Cisco IOS XR. Affected is an unknown function of the component Boot Process. Executing a manipulation can lead to signature verification. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2025-20143. The attack can only be executed locally. There is no exploit available. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Cisco IOS XR. This vulnerability affects an unknown code block of the component Boot Process. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a signature verification vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-347. The product does not verify, or incorrectly verifies, the cryptographic signature for data. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

A vulnerability in the boot process of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with high privileges to bypass the Secure Boot functionality and load unverified software on an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have root-system privileges on the affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient verification of modules in the software load process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by manipulating the loaded binaries to bypass some of the integrity checks that are performed during the booting process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to control the boot configuration, which could enable them to bypass the requirement to run Cisco-signed images or alter the security properties of the running system. Note: This vulnerability affects Cisco IOS XR Software, not the Secure Boot feature. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

The advisory is shared for download at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com. This vulnerability was named CVE-2025-20143 since 10/10/2024. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack needs to be approached locally. Additional levels of successful authentication are needed for exploitation. There are neither technical details nor an exploit publicly available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $0-$5k (estimation calculated on 07/22/2025).

Upgrading eliminates this vulnerability.

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Productinfo

Type

• Router Operating System

Vendor

• Cisco

Name

• IOS XR

Version

• 6.5.1
• 6.5.2
• 6.5.3
• 6.5.15
• 6.5.92
• 6.5.93
• 6.6.1
• 6.6.2
• 6.6.3
• 6.6.4
• 6.6.11
• 6.6.12
• 6.6.25
• 6.7.1
• 6.7.2
• 6.7.3
• 6.7.35
• 6.8.1
• 6.8.2
• 6.9.1
• 6.9.2
• 7.0.0
• 7.0.1
• 7.0.2
• 7.0.90
• 7.1.1
• 7.1.2
• 7.1.3
• 7.1.15
• 7.1.25
• 7.2.0
• 7.2.1
• 7.2.2
• 7.3.1
• 7.3.2
• 7.3.3
• 7.3.4
• 7.3.5
• 7.3.6
• 7.3.27
• 7.4.1
• 7.4.2
• 7.4.15
• 7.4.16
• 7.5.1
• 7.5.2
• 7.5.3
• 7.5.4
• 7.5.5
• 7.6.1
• 7.6.2
• 7.6.15
• 7.7.1
• 7.7.2
• 7.7.21
• 7.8.1
• 7.8.2
• 7.8.22
• 7.8.23

License

• commercial

Website

• Vendor: https://www.cisco.com/

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