dbcve.org
Secure Network AnalyticsApplication · Cisco

CVE-2025-20178

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
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 web-based management interface of Cisco Secure Network Analytics could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with valid administrative credentials to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient integrity checks within device backup files. An attacker with valid administrative credentials could exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious backup file and restoring it to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain shell access on the underlying operating system with the privileges of root.

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

This is a command injection vulnerability in Cisco Secure Network Analytics where the web-based management interface fails to perform adequate integrity checks on device backup files. An authenticated administrator can craft a malicious backup file containing embedded commands and restore it to the affected device, achieving root-level shell access on the underlying operating system.

MitigationRestrict administrative account access and monitor for unauthorized backup restoration activities. Apply the Cisco vendor patch once released and verify backup file integrity validation is functioning after the update.

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
Secure Network AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 7.5.0= 7.5.1= 7.5.2

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Cisco Secure Network Analytics version
    Access the web-based management interface and navigate to the system information or about section to view the current software version. Alternatively, use the command-line interface and run the appropriate version display command for the appliance.
    Affected if The displayed version matches 7.5.0, 7.5.1, or 7.5.2 exactly.
  2. Confirm web-based management interface is accessible
    Verify that the web-based management interface is enabled and reachable by attempting to access the administrative login page via HTTPS on the management IP address.
    Affected if The web interface is accessible and responds to authentication requests.
  3. Verify backup restore capability exists
    Log into the web-based management interface as an administrator and check whether a backup restoration or import feature is available in the system administration or maintenance settings.
    Affected if The backup restore or file import feature is present and functional.
  4. Review administrative account access
    Check the list of configured administrative accounts in the management interface to determine who has administrator-level privileges capable of performing backup operations.
    Affected if At least one administrative account exists with privileges to restore backup files.

The environment is affected if the installed version is exactly 7.5.0, 7.5.1, or 7.5.2 and the web-based management interface with backup restore functionality is accessible to an authenticated administrator.

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

Restrict administrative account access and monitor for unauthorized backup restoration activities. Apply the Cisco vendor patch once released and verify backup file integrity validation is functioning after the update.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Secure Network Analytics 7.5.3 or later

  1. 1. Obtain the fixed release of Cisco Secure Network Analytics from the Cisco official download page or through your Cisco support contract.
  2. 2. Review Cisco's release notes for version 7.5.3 or later to confirm the security fix for CVE-2025-20178 is included.
  3. 3. Ensure you have valid administrative credentials as required by the authentication prerequisite.
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade to minimize operational impact.
  5. 5. Before upgrading, back up the current configuration following Cisco best practices.
  6. 6. Perform the upgrade to the fixed version following the standard Secure Network Analytics upgrade procedure.
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the system is functioning correctly and the web-based management interface is accessible.
  8. 8. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by reviewing the release notes or consulting Cisco TAC if needed.
Caveat Upgrading minor versions within the 7.5.x line typically has minimal breaking changes, but review release notes for any configuration or feature changes

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

Fix this in Secure Network Analytics 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-2025-20178 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