MEDIUM CVSS 6.8
Published: 2025-05-07

CVE-2025-20181

cisco ios Security Advisory (CVE-2025-20181)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2025-20181 impacting cisco ios. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 6.8 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
A vulnerability in Cisco IOS Software for Cisco Catalyst 2960X, 2960XR, 2960CX, and 3560CX Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker with privilege level 15 or an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device to execute persistent code at boot time and break the chain of trust. This vulnerability is due to missing signature verification for specific files that may be loaded during the device boot process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing a crafted file into a specific location on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code at boot time. Because this allows the attacker to bypass a major security feature of the device, Cisco has raised the Security Impact Rating (SIR) of this advisory from Medium to High.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Physical (AV:P)
Requires physical access to target hardware
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product cisco / ios
Affected Versions 15.0\(1\)ex
Weakness Enumeration CWE-347

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-2025-20181 impacting cisco ios.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2025-20181.yaml
id: cve-2025-20181

info:
  name: cisco ios - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2025-20181 affecting cisco ios.
    Evaluation: A vulnerability in Cisco IOS Software for Cisco Catalyst 2960X, 2960XR, 2960CX, and 3560CX Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacke...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2025-20181
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 6.8
    cve-id: CVE-2025-20181
    cwe-id: CWE-347
  tags: cve,cve-2025-20181,cisco,ios,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "ios"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2025-20181.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2025-20181
# Target: cisco ios | CVSS: 6.8 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2025-20181 (cisco ios)...")
    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 ios scope (15.0\(1\)ex).")
        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-2025-20181.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2025-20181
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install ios 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade ios 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update ios

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

# 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-2025-20181 in cisco ios?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update cisco ios 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-2025-20181?

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-2025-20181?

CVE-2025-20181 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.8 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
6.8
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2025-20181
Weakness CWE-347
Vendor cisco
Product ios
Published 2025-05-07
Vector CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H