CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2025-20181 — Cisco Ios security vulnerability

Medium CVSS 6.8

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.

Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.8 (3.0)
Published
2025-05-07
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-347

Affected products

  • cisco / ios / 15.0(1)ex
  • cisco / ios / 15.0(1)ey
  • cisco / ios / 15.0(1)ey1
  • cisco / ios / 15.0(1)ey2
  • cisco / ios / 15.0(1)xo
  • cisco / ios / 15.0(1)xo1

Showing 6 representative product identities from 106 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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