dbcve.org
Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2025-20188

CRITICAL · 10.0 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Out-of-Band Access Point (AP) Image Download, the Clean Air Spectral Recording, and the client debug bundles features of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to upload arbitrary files to an affected system. This vulnerability is due to the presence of a hard-coded JSON Web Token (JWT) on an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTPS requests to the AP file upload interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to upload files, perform path traversal, and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.

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 critical vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers exists in the Out-of-Band AP Image Download, Clean Air Spectral Recording, and client debug bundles features. The root cause is a hard-coded JSON Web Token (JWT) embedded in the system that allows unauthenticated, remote attackers to bypass authentication on the AP file upload interface. Successful exploitation permits arbitrary file uploads, path traversal, and execution of commands with root privileges.

MitigationApply the Cisco-provided security patch/upgrade to a fixed version of IOS XE Software; until patched, restrict network access to the WLC management interfaces and disable unnecessary file upload features.

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
Ios XeOperating system
Affected:= 17.11.1= 17.11.99sw= 17.12.1= 17.12.2= 17.12.3= 17.13.1= 17.14.1

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 the IOS XE version
    Run 'show version' or 'show version | include Version' on the WLC CLI to retrieve the installed IOS XE software version
    Affected if The version matches any of these: 17.11.1, 17.11.99sw, 17.12.1, 17.12.2, 17.12.3, 17.13.1, or 17.14.1
  2. Verify Out-of-Band AP Image Download feature status
    Check the WLC configuration with 'show run-config' or inspect the AP image download settings in the web UI under Wireless > Access Points > AP Image Download. Look for Out-of-Band download configuration.
    Affected if The Out-of-Band AP Image Download feature is enabled on the device
  3. Verify Clean Air Spectral Recording status
    Inspect Clean Air settings via 'show clean-air config' or check the web UI under Wireless > CleanAir. Look for Spectral Recording configuration.
    Affected if Clean Air Spectral Recording is enabled on the WLC
  4. Verify client debug bundles feature status
    Check for debug bundle configuration using 'show debugging' or inspect the AP debugging settings in the web UI. Look for client debug bundle upload or export options.
    Affected if Client debug bundles feature is accessible or enabled

The device is affected if it runs one of the listed versions AND has any of the three vulnerable features (Out-of-Band AP Image Download, Clean Air Spectral Recording, or client debug bundles) enabled.

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

Apply the Cisco-provided security patch/upgrade to a fixed version of IOS XE Software; until patched, restrict network access to the WLC management interfaces and disable unnecessary file upload features.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco IOS XE 17.13.x or later (latest stable 17.x release per Cisco advisory)

  1. 1. Identify the current Cisco IOS XE version running on the Wireless LAN Controller using 'show version' command
  2. 2. Back up the current controller configuration using 'backup-config' or TFTP export
  3. 3. Download the fixed IOS XE software release from Cisco (refer to Cisco IOS XE Software Security Advisory for CVE-2025-20188)
  4. 4. Upload the new software image to the WLC using the Web UI or CLI 'transfer download' command
  5. 5. Reboot the controller to apply the new image using 'reset system' command
  6. 6. Verify the new version is running with 'show version' and confirm the vulnerability is addressed
  7. 7. Review Cisco's advisory at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for any additional post-upgrade hardening steps
Caveat Standard WLC upgrade risks apply - ensure configuration backup and test in lab before production deployment; some legacy APs may require firmware updates for compatibility with newer IOS XE

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
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
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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-2025-20188 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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