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iOSOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2025-20169

HIGH · 7.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
83/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
A vulnerability in the SNMP subsystem of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to cause a DoS condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper error handling when parsing SNMP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted SNMP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload unexpectedly, resulting in a DoS condition.  This vulnerability affects SNMP versions 1, 2c, and 3. To exploit this vulnerability through SNMP v2c or earlier, the attacker must know a valid read-write or read-only SNMP community string for the affected system. To exploit this vulnerability through SNMP v3, the attacker must have valid SNMP user credentials for the affected 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 · high confidence

A vulnerability in the SNMP subsystem of Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software allows an authenticated attacker to send a crafted SNMP request that triggers improper error handling, causing the device to reload unexpectedly and result in a denial of service. The vulnerability affects SNMP versions 1, 2c, and 3 and requires valid SNMP credentials (community string for v1/v2c or user credentials for v3).

MitigationDisable SNMP if not required, or restrict SNMP access via ACLs to trusted management stations. For SNMPv3, ensure authentication and encryption are enabled. Apply the Cisco patch when available.

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
iOSOperating system
Affected:= 12.2\(1\)= 12.2\(1\)dx= 12.2\(1\)dx1= 12.2\(1\)m0= 12.2\(1\)mb1= 12.2\(1\)xd= 12.2\(1\)xd1= 12.2\(1\)xd2= 12.2\(1\)xd3= 12.2\(1\)xd4= 12.2\(1\)xe= 12.2\(1\)xe1
Ios XeOperating system
Affected:all versions= 3.2.0se= 3.2.0sg= 3.2.1se= 3.2.1sg= 3.2.2se= 3.2.2sg= 3.2.3se= 3.2.3sg= 3.2.4sg= 3.2.5sg= 3.2.6sg

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if SNMP is enabled
    Run 'show snmp' or 'show running-config | include snmp' to view SNMP configuration status
    Affected if SNMP is enabled (any community string or user configured)
  2. Identify the Cisco OS version
    Run 'show version' and note the displayed IOS or IOS XE version number
    Affected if The version matches any of the affected versions listed (12.2 family branches or any IOS XE version)
  3. Confirm SNMP configuration includes community strings or users
    Run 'show running-config | include snmp' and look for 'snmp-server community' or 'snmp-server user' entries
    Affected if At least one SNMP community string (v1/v2c) or SNMP user (v3) is configured
  4. Verify the device can receive SNMP requests
    Check the configuration for any interface bindings or ACLs that permit SNMP traffic. Run 'show snmp' to see packet counters
    Affected if SNMP is enabled and the device has processed SNMP requests (counters incrementing)

A device is affected if it runs a vulnerable IOS or IOS XE version, has SNMP enabled with at least one configured community string or SNMPv3 user, and can receive SNMP requests from an attacker with valid credentials.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable SNMP if not required, or restrict SNMP access via ACLs to trusted management stations. For SNMPv3, ensure authentication and encryption are enabled. Apply the Cisco patch when available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Obtain the specific fixed release from Cisco Security Advisory CVE-2025-20169 on sec.cloudapps.cisco.com - Cisco issues specific fixed releases per platform and should be consulted for the exact version

  1. 1. Confirm the specific IOS/IOS XE version running on the device using 'show version'
  2. 2. Access the Cisco Security Advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for CVE-2025-20169 to obtain the exact fixed release for your specific platform
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed IOS or IOS XE software release from Cisco's download website
  4. 4. Review release notes for any migration considerations or prerequisites
  5. 5. Plan a maintenance window as the device will need to be reloaded after the upgrade
  6. 6. Back up the current device configuration
  7. 7. Upgrade the device using the appropriate method (USB, TFTP, HTTP, etc.)
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify SNMP functionality is working and the device is stable
Caveat Review Cisco release notes for any configuration or feature changes between your current version and the fixed release, especially for long-standing IOS versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in iOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-20169 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data