MEDIUM CVSS 5.1
Published: 2025-02-26

CVE-2025-20117

cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller Security Advisory (CVE-2025-20117)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2025-20117 impacting cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.1 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco APIC could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of arguments that are passed to specific CLI commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including crafted input as the argument of an affected CLI command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with the privileges of root.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
High (PR:H)
Administrative credentials required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
Low (C:L)
Partial information leakage
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product cisco / application_policy_infrastructure_controller
Affected Versions 3.2\(1l\)
Weakness Enumeration CWE-77

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2025-20117 impacting cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2025-20117.yaml
id: cve-2025-20117

info:
  name: cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2025-20117 affecting cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller.
    Evaluation: A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco APIC could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2025-20117
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N
    cvss-score: 5.1
    cve-id: CVE-2025-20117
    cwe-id: CWE-77
  tags: cve,cve-2025-20117,cisco,application_policy_infras,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "application_policy_infrastructure_controller"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2025-20117.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2025-20117
# Target: cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller | CVSS: 5.1 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2025-20117 (cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller scope (3.2\(1l\)).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2025-20117.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2025-20117
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install application_policy_infras 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade application_policy_infras 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update application_policy_infras

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i application_policy_infras 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i application_policy_infras

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2025-20117 in cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update cisco application_policy_infrastructure_controller packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2025-20117?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2025-20117?

CVE-2025-20117 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.1 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.1
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2025-20117
Weakness CWE-77
Vendor cisco
Product application_policy_infrastructure_controller
Published 2025-02-26
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N