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iOSOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2025-20175

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 remote attacker to cause device reload (DoS) via crafted SNMP requests. The flaw stems from improper error handling during SNMP request parsing, affecting SNMPv1, v2c, and v3. Exploitation requires either a valid SNMP community string (v1/v2c) or valid SNMPv3 user credentials.

MitigationApply Cisco IOS/IOS XE software patches when available; meanwhile, restrict SNMP access via ACLs, use SNMPv3 with strong authentication, and disable SNMP if unused.

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\(33\)sxi4= 12.2\(33\)sxi4a= 12.2\(33\)sxi5= 12.2\(33\)sxi6= 12.2\(33\)sxi7= 12.2\(33\)sxi8= 12.2\(33\)sxi8a= 12.2\(33\)sxi9= 12.2\(33\)sxi10= 12.2\(33\)sxi11= 12.2\(33\)sxi12= 12.2\(33\)sxi13
Ios XeOperating system
Affected:= 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= 3.2.7sg

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 Cisco IOS or IOS XE version
    Run 'show version' or 'show version | include IOS' to retrieve the installed software version
    Affected if The version matches or falls within the affected 12.2(33)sxi or 3.2.x SE/SG version ranges listed in the CVE
  2. Verify if SNMP is enabled on the device
    Run 'show snmp' or check configuration with 'show running-config | include snmp' to see if any SNMP configuration exists
    Affected if SNMP is enabled and configured (any SNMP lines appear in the configuration)
  3. Confirm which SNMP versions are configured
    Run 'show snmp group' or examine the running-config for 'snmp-server community' (v1/v2c) or 'snmp-server user' (v3) entries
    Affected if SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, or SNMPv3 is actively configured and the device accepts SNMP requests
  4. Check SNMP community string or user configuration
    Review 'show running-config | include snmp-server community' for v1/v2c strings or 'show snmp user' for SNMPv3 user entries
    Affected if Valid SNMP community strings exist for v1/v2c or valid SNMPv3 users are configured, as these credentials are required for exploitation

The device is affected if it runs a Cisco IOS or IOS XE version within the listed ranges AND has SNMP enabled with v1/v2c community strings or SNMPv3 users that could be exploited by an authenticated attacker.

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 Cisco IOS/IOS XE software patches when available; meanwhile, restrict SNMP access via ACLs, use SNMPv3 with strong authentication, and disable SNMP if unused.

Fix this in iOS Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,600
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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-2025-20175 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