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Information ExposureWeakness · CWE-200

CVE-2025-20290

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 logging feature of Cisco NX-OS Software for Cisco Nexus 3000 Series Switches, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches in standalone NX-OS mode, Cisco UCS 6400 Fabric Interconnects, Cisco UCS 6500 Series Fabric Interconnects, and Cisco UCS 9108 100G Fabric Interconnects could allow an authenticated, local attacker access to sensitive information. This vulnerability is due to improper logging of sensitive information. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing log files on the file system where they are stored. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access sensitive information, such as stored credentials.

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 vulnerability exists in the logging subsystem of Cisco NX-OS software across multiple product lines. The logging feature improperly records sensitive information, including credentials, to log files stored on the filesystem. An authenticated local attacker with file system access can read these log files to obtain stored credentials or other sensitive data that should not be logged.

MitigationApply the Cisco patch when available. In the interim, restrict physical and logical access to the device's filesystem, monitor log file access, and rotate any credentials that may have been exposed. Review log retention policies and ensure sensitive data is not written to logs.

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

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

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

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 NX-OS version
    Run 'show version' on the device CLI to obtain the installed NX-OS version
    Affected if The installed version falls within the affected NX-OS version range for this CVE (check Cisco advisory for specific affected versions)
  2. Verify logging feature is active
    Run 'show logging' and 'show running-config | include logging' to confirm logging is configured and active on the device
    Affected if Logging is enabled and writing to filesystem-based log files
  3. Locate log files on the filesystem
    Run 'show logging logfile' to identify the configured log file path and name, typically stored in bootflash: or volatile: directories
    Affected if Log files exist in accessible filesystem locations
  4. Inspect logs for sensitive data patterns
    Use 'grep -i' or 'show logging logfile | include' commands to search for patterns such as 'password', 'key', 'secret', 'credential', or other sensitive keywords in the log files
    Affected if Log files contain any sensitive information such as passwords, keys, or credentials that should not have been recorded
  5. Check log file permissions and access
    Run 'dir' commands to list log files and verify who has read access to them, or review 'show privilege' output for current user privileges
    Affected if The device allows authenticated users filesystem read access to log files containing sensitive data

A user is affected if they are running a Cisco NX-OS version within the affected range, have logging enabled, and log files on their system contain sensitive information such as credentials that could be read by an authenticated local attacker.

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 the Cisco patch when available. In the interim, restrict physical and logical access to the device's filesystem, monitor log file access, and rotate any credentials that may have been exposed. Review log retention policies and ensure sensitive data is not written to logs.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2025-20290 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