Cisco IOS XE up to 17.15.1w CLI improper authentication

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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CTI Interest Score
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6.3$0-$5k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Cisco IOS XE. It has been rated as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the component CLI. Performing a manipulation results in improper authentication. This vulnerability was named CVE-2025-20197. The attack needs to be approached locally. There is no available exploit. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Cisco IOS XE. It has been classified as critical. This affects an unknown function of the component CLI. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a improper authentication vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-287. When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with privilege level 15 to elevate privileges to root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation when processing specific configuration commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including crafted input in specific configuration commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. The security impact rating (SIR) of this advisory has been raised to High because an attacker could gain access to the underlying operating system of the affected device and perform potentially undetected actions. Note: The attacker must have privileges to enter configuration mode on the affected device. This is usually referred to as privilege level 15.

It is possible to read the advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2025-20197 since 10/10/2024. The exploitability is told to be easy. Attacking locally is a requirement. Additional levels of successful authentication are necessary for exploitation. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 235482 (Cisco IOS XE Software Privilege Escalation (cisco-sa-iosxe-privesc-su7scvdp)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading eliminates this vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (235482). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

Vendor

Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 6.4
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 6.3

VulDB Base Score: 4.2
VulDB Temp Score: 4.0
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 8.2
NVD Vector: 🔍

CNA Base Score: 6.7
CNA Vector (cisco): 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Improper authentication
CWE: CWE-287
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: No

Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

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Nessus ID: 235482
Nessus Name: Cisco IOS XE Software Privilege Escalation (cisco-sa-iosxe-privesc-su7scvdp)

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍

Timelineinfo

10/10/2024 🔍
05/07/2025 +209 days 🔍
05/07/2025 +0 days 🔍
07/08/2025 +62 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: cisco.com

Advisory: cisco-sa-iosxe-privesc-su7scvdp
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2025-20197 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2025-20197
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-307923
scip Labs: https://www.scip.ch/en/?labs.20150108

Entryinfo

Created: 05/07/2025 20:19
Updated: 07/08/2025 16:27
Changes: 05/07/2025 20:19 (65), 05/08/2025 16:30 (2), 07/08/2025 16:27 (12)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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