Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2025-20186

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-07

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

94/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of the Wireless LAN Controller feature of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with a lobby ambassador user account to perform a command injection attack against an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted input to the web-based management interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary Cisco IOS XE Software CLI commands with privilege level 15. Note: This vulnerability is exploitable only if the attacker obtains the credentials for a lobby ambassador account. This account is not configured by default.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Command injection vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Wireless LAN Controller web-based management interface allows authenticated attackers with lobby ambassador credentials to execute arbitrary IOS CLI commands at privilege level 15 due to insufficient input validation.

MitigationApply Cisco IOS XE software updates when available; if lobby ambassador accounts are unnecessary, ensure they are not configured; if required, use strong credentials and restrict network access to the management interface.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Ios XeOperating system

Affected:= 16.12.4= 16.12.4a= 16.12.5= 16.12.6= 16.12.6a= 16.12.7= 16.12.8= 17.2.2= 17.2.3= 17.3.1= 17.3.1a= 17.3.2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Identify the IOS XE version

Execute 'show version' on the device CLI and locate the IOS XE release number in the output

Affected if The version number matches one of the affected releases: 16.12.4, 16.12.4a, 16.12.5, 16.12.6, 16.12.6a, 16.12.7, 16.12.8, 17.2.2, 17.2.3, 17.3.1, 17.3.1a, or 17.3.2
Verify Wireless LAN Controller feature is active

Execute 'show wlan summary' or 'show wireless controller summary' to check if WLAN controller functionality is configured

Affected if The output shows active wireless LAN controllers or WLAN configurations, indicating the vulnerable component is enabled
Confirm lobby ambassador accounts exist

Execute 'show run | include lobby' or 'show privilege' after logging in with the lobby ambassador account to verify this user role exists

Affected if A lobby ambassador user account is configured on the device, providing the credentials required to attempt exploitation
Check if web-based management interface is accessible

Attempt to reach the device web UI on port 443 or verify 'ip http server' is enabled via 'show running-config | include http server'

Affected if The HTTP/HTTPS management interface is enabled and reachable from the network

The device is affected if it runs an affected IOS XE version, has Wireless LAN Controller functionality enabled, has a lobby ambassador account configured, and exposes its web-based management interface to the attacker.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply Cisco IOS XE software updates when available; if lobby ambassador accounts are unnecessary, ensure they are not configured; if required, use strong credentials and restrict network access to the management interface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the fixed IOS XE 16.12.x release as specified in the Cisco security advisory for CVE-2025-20186 (consult sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for the exact version number)

1. Confirm the current IOS XE version on the affected device using 'show version' command
2. Review Cisco IOS XE software release notes and security advisories at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for CVE-2025-20186
3. Identify the Cisco-recommended fixed release for the 16.12.x train that addresses this vulnerability
4. Download the fixed IOS XE software image from Cisco.com or your Cisco support portal
5. Back up the current device configuration using 'copy running-config startup-config' or TFTP
6. Upgrade the device using 'software install file <image> new' or 'request platform software package install file <image>' command
7. Verify the upgrade completed successfully with 'show version'
8. Confirm the new version no longer contains the vulnerability by reviewing the fixed release notes

Caveat Standard IOS XE upgrade risks apply: ensure configuration compatibility and plan for potential downtime; Cisco IOS XE upgrades may require specific upgrade procedures for the 16.12.x train

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

Fix this in Ios Xe Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing3.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

11.0 hours of engineering $1,970

Get help mitigating

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

sec.cloudapps.cisco.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-20186 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-20186?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 8.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.8%

Affects: Ios Xe

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Ios Xe 11 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $1,970

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2025-20186 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References