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Spaces ConnectorApplication · Cisco

CVE-2025-20308

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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 Cisco Spaces Connector could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system as root. This vulnerability is due to insufficient restrictions during the execution of specific CLI commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging in to the Cisco Spaces Connector CLI as the spacesadmin user and executing a specific command with crafted parameters. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges from the spacesadmin user and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system as root.

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 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco Spaces Connector where an authenticated attacker with spacesadmin credentials can exploit insufficient input validation in specific CLI commands to execute arbitrary operating system commands with root privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or software update from Cisco when available. Until then, limit CLI access to trusted personnel only and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

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
Spaces ConnectorApplication
Affected:= 3.0

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
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? 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 if Cisco Spaces Connector is installed
    Check for the presence of Cisco Spaces Connector software on the system. Look for installation directories, services, or the CLI binary typically located in /opt/cisco/spaces-connector or similar paths.
    Affected if The software is present and running on the system.
  2. Verify the installed version
    Access the CLI interface and run the command to display the version, typically 'show version' or 'spaces-connector-cli --version', or check the installed package metadata.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.0.
  3. Confirm CLI authentication is configured
    Check if spacesadmin user account exists and CLI access is enabled. Review the CLI configuration files or run 'show users' in the CLI if accessible.
    Affected if CLI access is enabled with spacesadmin credentials configured.
  4. Inspect for unauthorized root-level processes
    Run 'ps aux | grep root' or check process listings for unexpected processes running as root that were not initiated by known administrative tasks.
    Affected if There are unexpected root-level processes or commands that do not correspond to known administrative operations.
  5. Review CLI command logs for suspicious activity
    Check CLI audit logs, system logs, or command history files for execution of arbitrary commands, especially those using shell metacharacters or unusual OS-level instructions.
    Affected if Logs show execution of arbitrary operating system commands via CLI that were not issued by authorized administrators.

A user is affected if Cisco Spaces Connector version 3.0 is installed, CLI access with spacesadmin credentials is available, and there are signs of unauthorized root-level command execution or suspicious CLI activity.

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 vendor-supplied patch or software update from Cisco when available. Until then, limit CLI access to trusted personnel only and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

Fix this in Spaces Connector Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2025-20308 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