FinesseApplication · Cisco

CVE-2025-20278

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-04

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.6 or later.

See remediation →

69/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

A vulnerability in the CLI of multiple Cisco Unified Communications products could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device as the root user. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied command arguments. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by executing crafted commands on the CLI of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device as the root user. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Command injection vulnerability in the CLI of multiple Cisco Unified Communications products allows an authenticated attacker with valid administrative credentials to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying OS due to improper validation of user-supplied command arguments.

MitigationApply Cisco's security updates/patches for affected Unified Communications products. Until patched, limit CLI access to trusted administrators and monitor for suspicious command execution.

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

FinesseApplication

Affected:= 10.5$1$= 10.5$1$_es1= 10.5$1$_es2= 10.5$1$_es3= 10.5$1$_es4= 10.5$1$_es5= 10.5$1$_es6= 10.5$1$_es7= 10.5$1$_es8= 10.5$1$_es9= 10.5$1$_es10= 11.0$1$

SocialminerApplication

Affected:= 10.5$1$= 10.6$1$= 10.6$2$= 11.0$1$= 11.5$1$= 11.5$1$su1= 11.6$1$= 11.6$2$= 12.0$1$= 12.0$1$es02= 12.0$1$es03= 12.0$1$es04

Unified Communications ManagerApplication

Affected:= 12.5$1$= 12.5$1$su1= 12.5$1$su2= 12.5$1$su3= 12.5$1$su4= 12.5$1$su5= 12.5$1$su6= 12.5$1$su7= 12.5$1$su7a= 12.5$1$su8= 12.5$1$su8a= 12.5$1$su9

Unified Communications Manager Im And Presence ServiceApplication

Affected:= 12.5$1$= 12.5$1$su1= 12.5$1$su2= 12.5$1$su3= 12.5$1$su4= 12.5$1$su5= 12.5$1$su6= 12.5$1$su7= 12.5$1$su8= 12.5$1$su9

Unified Contact Center ExpressApplication

Affected:= 8.5$1$= 9.0$2$su3es04= 10.0$1$su1= 10.0$1$su1es04= 10.5$1$= 10.5$1$su1= 10.5$1$su1es10= 10.6$1$= 10.6$1$su1= 10.6$1$su2= 10.6$1$su2es04= 10.6$1$su3

Unified Intelligence CenterApplication

Affected:< 12.6$2$es_04

Unity ConnectionApplication

Affected:= 12.5$1$= 12.5$1$su1= 12.5$1$su2= 12.5$1$su3= 12.5$1$su4= 12.5$1$su5= 12.5$1$su6= 12.5$1$su7= 12.5$1$su8= 12.5$1$su8a= 12.5$1$su9

Virtualized Voice BrowserApplication

Affected:< 12.6$2$es06

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 installed Cisco Unified Communications product

Access the CLI via SSH or console and run 'show version' or check the admin web interface to determine which product (Finesse, Socialminer, CUCM, UCCX, UIC, Unity Connection, or VVB) is running

Affected if Any of the listed products is installed
Determine the product version

Run the CLI command 'show version' or check the About page in the admin web interface to obtain the exact version number (for example, 10.5(1), 12.5(1)su1, 11.6(1))

Affected if The installed version matches one of the versions listed in the affected products and versions for that specific product
Verify CLI administration is enabled

Check if the command-line interface is accessible for administrative purposes. Confirm that admin accounts exist and can log in via SSH or console

Affected if CLI administrative access is available (this is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable)
Review CLI command logs for suspicious activity

Check system logs or run 'show log' in the CLI for unexpected or malformed commands, especially those containing shell metacharacters like ; | & $ or backticks

Affected if Unexpected commands appear in logs or admin audit logs show commands not initiated by legitimate administrators

The environment is affected if a Cisco Unified Communications product is running a version matching one of the listed affected versions AND CLI administrative access is available, allowing an authenticated attacker to inject arbitrary commands.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.6 or later

Fixed in 12.6

Interim mitigation

Apply Cisco's security updates/patches for affected Unified Communications products. Until patched, limit CLI access to trusted administrators and monitor for suspicious command execution.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the fixed release as specified in the Cisco advisory for each product (fixed versions vary by product; check sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for product-specific fixed releases)

1. Identify the specific Cisco Unified Communications product (Finesse, Socialminer, Unified Communications Manager, Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service, Unified Contact Center Express, Unified Intelligence Center, Unity Connection, or Virtualized Voice Browser) affected in your environment
2. Determine the exact version and sub-version (e.g., 12.5(1), 12.5(1)su1) currently installed
3. Navigate to Cisco's official security advisory portal at sec.cloudapps.cisco.com and search for CVE-2025-20278
4. Locate the specific advisory for your product to obtain the fixed version information
5. Plan maintenance window for the upgrade, as this requires CLI access with administrative credentials
6. Obtain the appropriate upgrade package or ISO from Cisco for your specific product and current version
7. Execute the upgrade following Cisco's standard upgrade procedures for the respective product
8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version number post-upgrade

Caveat Upgrades between major versions (e.g., 10.x to 12.x) may require careful planning and could have feature/behavior changes; ensure compatibility with existing integrations

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

Fix this in Finesse Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

12.0 hours of engineering $2,180

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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-2025-20278 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-20278?

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

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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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 12.6 or later

Severity 6.7 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Finesse

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Finesse 12 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,180

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2025-20278 and return a fixed quote.

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