dbcve.org
iOSOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2025-20174

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/IOS XE Software allows an authenticated attacker to cause device reload via improper error handling when parsing crafted SNMP requests. The vulnerability affects SNMP v1, v2c, and v3, requiring either a valid community string or SNMP user credentials for exploitation.

MitigationApply the Cisco fix when available; until then, restrict SNMP access via ACLs, use SNMPv3 with authentication/encryption, and limit exposure to trusted management networks.

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:= 15.2\(1\)sy= 15.2\(1\)sy0a= 15.2\(1\)sy1= 15.2\(1\)sy1a= 15.2\(1\)sy2= 15.2\(1\)sy3= 15.2\(1\)sy4= 15.2\(1\)sy5= 15.2\(1\)sy6= 15.2\(1\)sy7= 15.2\(1\)sy8= 15.2\(2\)sy
Ios XeOperating system
Affected:= 3.11.0s= 3.11.1s= 3.11.2s= 3.11.3s= 3.11.4s= 3.12.0as= 3.12.0s= 3.12.1s= 3.12.2s= 3.12.3s= 3.12.4s= 3.13.0as

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. Identify the IOS or IOS XE version
    Execute 'show version' in the device CLI and locate the exact version string (for example, 15.2(1)sy, 15.2(2)sy, 3.12.0s, or 3.13.0as)
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these affected ranges: iOS 15.2(1)sy through 15.2(2)sy, or IOS XE 3.11.0s through 3.13.0as (including 'as' variants)
  2. Verify SNMP is enabled
    Run 'show running-config | include snmp' or 'show snmp' to check for SNMP configuration
    Affected if SNMP configuration commands are present (snmp-server community, snmp-server user, or similar)
  3. Identify active SNMP versions
    Review the SNMP configuration output and look for 'snmp-server community' (indicates SNMP v1/v2c) or 'snmp-server user' (indicates SNMPv3)
    Affected if Any SNMP version (v1, v2c, or v3) is configured with a valid community string or SNMP user credentials

The device is affected if it runs an affected iOS or IOS XE version AND has SNMP enabled with a community string or SNMP user credentials that an attacker could use for authentication.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Cisco fix when available; until then, restrict SNMP access via ACLs, use SNMPv3 with authentication/encryption, and limit exposure to trusted management networks.

Fix this in iOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2025-20174 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