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Nexus DashboardApplication · Cisco

CVE-2025-20344

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.1 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 backup restore functionality of Cisco Nexus Dashboard could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a path traversal attack on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of the contents of a backup file. An attacker with valid Administrator credentials could exploit this vulnerability by restoring a crafted backup file to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root privileges on the underlying shell on the affected device.

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 path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Nexus Dashboard's backup restore function allows authenticated administrators to write arbitrary files to the filesystem by restoring a crafted backup file with manipulated path references, leading to root shell access on the underlying OS.

MitigationRestrict Administrator account access to trusted personnel only, validate backup file integrity before restore, and apply Cisco's patch when released.

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
Nexus DashboardApplication
Affected:< 4.1\(1g\)

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 Cisco Nexus Dashboard version
    Access the Nexus Dashboard admin interface or run 'show version' via CLI to retrieve the installed software version
    Affected if Version is earlier than 4.1(1g)
  2. Locate backup restore logs
    Navigate to the administrative logging section of Nexus Dashboard and search for 'restore' or 'backup' operations, typically found under System > Logs or Admin > Backup & Restore
    Affected if Backup restore operations have been performed using untrusted or externally-sourced backup files
  3. Examine filesystem for unexpected files
    Review the underlying filesystem for newly created or modified files in system directories such as /, /home, /tmp, or /opt, especially executable scripts or binary files not part of a standard installation
    Affected if Unknown files exist in system directories, particularly in locations writable via the backup restore mechanism
  4. Audit administrator accounts
    List all administrator accounts configured in Nexus Dashboard under Admin > Users or via 'show admin users' CLI command and verify each account is authorized
    Affected if Unexpected or unauthorized administrator accounts are present, indicating potential privilege escalation via the vulnerability

The environment is affected if Cisco Nexus Dashboard version is below 4.1(1g) and the backup restore feature has been used, or if unauthorized files or administrator accounts are detected on the system.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.1 or later
Fixed in 4.1
Interim mitigation

Restrict Administrator account access to trusted personnel only, validate backup file integrity before restore, and apply Cisco's patch when released.

Recommended fix High confidence

Nexus Dashboard version 4.1(1g) or later

  1. 1. Identify current Nexus Dashboard version by navigating to the Dashboard UI and checking the version info, or via CLI with 'show version'
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade process
  3. 3. Obtain the fixed release (4.1(1g) or later) from Cisco's software download center at cisco.com or your authorized reseller
  4. 4. Create a full backup of the current Nexus Dashboard configuration before proceeding
  5. 5. Follow Cisco's official upgrade guide for Nexus Dashboard - upload the .iso image and initiate the upgrade via the UI or CLI
  6. 6. Monitor the upgrade process and ensure the system reboots successfully
  7. 7. After upgrade completes, verify the version is now 4.1(1g) or later using 'show version'
  8. 8. Log in as Administrator and verify backup/restore functionality works correctly with a test backup
Caveat Review Cisco Nexus Dashboard release notes for 4.1(1g) for any configuration or behavioral changes; some features may have deprecated syntax or require reconfiguration after upgrade

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

Fix this in Nexus Dashboard Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,160
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,856.

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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-2025-20344 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data