Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication · Cisco
CVE-2025-20122
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, formerly Cisco SD-WAN vManage, could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain privileges of the root user on the underlying operating system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An authenticated attacker with read-only privileges on the SD-WAN Manager system could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the CLI of the SD-WAN Manager. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root privileges on the underlying operating system.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceLocal privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager CLI where insufficient input validation allows an authenticated attacker with read-only privileges to execute crafted requests that grant root access on the underlying operating system.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication
= 17.2.4= 17.2.5= 17.2.6= 17.2.7= 17.2.8= 17.2.9= 17.2.10= 18.2.0= 18.3.0= 18.3.1= 18.3.1.1= 18.3.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager versionAccess the SD-WAN Manager administration interface or use the CLI command 'show version' to retrieve the installed software version.Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 17.2.4, 17.2.5, 17.2.6, 17.2.7, 17.2.8, 17.2.9, 17.2.10, 18.2.0, 18.3.0, 18.3.1, 18.3.1.1, or 18.3.3
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Verify CLI access is enabledConfirm that the SD-WAN Manager CLI interface is accessible and active. Check the administration settings to see if CLI access is permitted for users.Affected if CLI access is enabled and reachable on the system
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Confirm read-only user accounts existReview the user account configuration to identify any accounts with read-only privileges. Use the user management interface or CLI command to list all user roles and privilege levels.Affected if One or more read-only user accounts are configured in the system
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Check for recent privilege escalation indicatorsReview CLI command logs and system audit trails for unusual commands or requests from read-only users that may indicate exploitation attempts. Look for commands that modify system permissions or access elevated functions.Affected if Audit logs show read-only users executing commands outside their intended privilege scope, or evidence of unauthorized root access attempts
Your environment is affected if the installed Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager version matches any of the listed affected versions AND the CLI interface is accessible to authenticated users with read-only privileges.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedApply the Cisco patch/upgrade for CVE-2025-20122 when released; until then, limit CLI access to only necessary personnel and monitor for suspicious CLI activity.
Later 17.x release (17.3.x or later) as specified in Cisco's official security advisory for CVE-2025-20122
- 1. Verify current Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager version by running: `show version` in the CLI
- 2. Confirm affected versions (17.2.4, 17.2.5, 17.2.6, 17.2.7) are in use before proceeding
- 3. Review Cisco release notes and security advisories at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for the specific fixed release for CVE-2025-20122
- 4. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrade requires system downtime
- 5. Perform a complete backup of the SD-WAN Manager configuration and database
- 6. Follow Cisco's standard upgrade procedure: transfer the upgrade file to the device, run `request system software install <file>` or equivalent CLI command
- 7. After upgrade completes, verify the new version is installed with `show version`
- 8. Validate that root privilege escalation no longer works from read-only authenticated CLI access
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Catalyst Sd Wan Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-20122 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-20122 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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