dbcve.org
Ios XeOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2025-20199

HIGH · 8.2 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 →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 CLI of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with privilege level 15 to elevate privileges to root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation when processing specific configuration commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including crafted input in specific configuration commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. The security impact rating (SIR) of this advisory has been raised to High because an attacker could gain access to the underlying operating system of the affected device and perform potentially undetected actions. Note: The attacker must have privileges to enter configuration mode on the affected device. This is usually referred to as privilege level 15.

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 privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software CLI allows authenticated privilege level 15 users to gain root access on the underlying Linux-based OS. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation when processing specific configuration commands, enabling attackers to inject crafted input that bypasses privilege boundaries.

MitigationApply Cisco-provided patches when available; otherwise, strictly limit privilege level 15 access, monitor for unauthorized configuration changes, and audit device access logs for suspicious activity.

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:= 3.2.0se= 3.2.1se= 3.2.2se= 3.2.3se= 3.3.0se= 3.3.1se= 3.3.2se= 3.3.3se= 3.3.4se= 3.3.5se= 3.4.0sg= 3.4.1sg

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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
    Execute 'show version' or 'show version | include Version' in the CLI
    Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected versions: 3.2.0se, 3.2.1se, 3.2.2se, 3.2.3se, 3.3.0se, 3.3.1se, 3.3.2se, 3.3.3se, 3.3.4se, 3.3.5se, 3.4.0sg, or 3.4.1sg
  2. Confirm the device platform
    Execute 'show version' and verify the output shows 'IOS XE' rather than classic IOS
    Affected if The device runs IOS XE software and the version from step 1 is in the affected list
  3. Check for privilege level 15 users
    Execute 'show running-config | include username' and review user accounts with privilege level 15, or use 'show privilege' after login to confirm current privilege level
    Affected if Privilege level 15 users exist on the device, which is required for exploitation of this vulnerability
  4. Review recent configuration changes
    Execute 'show archive config differences' or check the configuration log with 'show logging | include CONFIG' for recent changes
    Affected if Suspicious or unexpected configuration commands appear that may indicate exploitation attempts
  5. Audit device access logs
    Review 'show logging' output and external syslog records for login events from privilege level 15 accounts, focusing on unusual command execution patterns
    Affected if Log entries show unexpected commands or sessions from legitimate privilege level 15 users that were not initiated by authorized administrators

You are affected if your Cisco IOS XE device runs version 3.2.0se through 3.4.1sg AND has privilege level 15 user accounts that could potentially inject crafted configuration commands.

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-provided patches when available; otherwise, strictly limit privilege level 15 access, monitor for unauthorized configuration changes, and audit device access logs for suspicious activity.

Fix this in Ios Xe Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-20199 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