dbcve.org
Unified Contact Center ExpressApplication · Cisco

CVE-2025-20354

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) process of Cisco Unified CCX could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to upload arbitrary files and execute arbitrary commands with root permissions on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to improper authentication mechanisms that are associated to specific Cisco Unified CCX features. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a crafted file to an affected system through the Java RMI process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system and elevate privileges to 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 critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the Java RMI (Remote Method Invocation) process of Cisco Unified CCX. An unauthenticated remote attacker can upload crafted files through the Java RMI interface due to improper authentication mechanisms, enabling execution of arbitrary commands with root privileges on the underlying operating system.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided security patch for CVE-2025-20354 from Cisco immediately. Until patched, restrict network access to Cisco Unified CCX systems and monitor for suspicious RMI traffic.

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
Unified Contact Center ExpressApplication
Affected:< 12.5\(1\)_su03_es07= 15.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 Unified CCX version
    Run 'show version' or access the Cisco Unified CCX admin interface to determine the exact installed version. Compare against the affected ranges: < 12.5(1)_su03_es07 or = 15.0
    Affected if Installed version is 15.0 or is earlier than 12.5(1)_su03_es07
  2. Verify Java RMI service status
    Check if the Java RMI service is running on the Cisco Unified CCX system. This is typically enabled by default for the Cisco Unified CCX engine. Use 'show process list' or check service status via the Cisco Unified Serviceability interface
    Affected if Java RMI service (Engine) is running and enabled on the system
  3. Confirm network exposure of RMI ports
    Review firewall rules and network access lists to determine if the Java RMI ports (typically port 2099 or range 50000-51000 for CTI/RMI services) are accessible from untrusted networks. Use 'show network access' or review IP access lists
    Affected if RMI ports are exposed to untrusted networks or the internet without proper ACL restrictions
  4. Inspect for suspicious RMI traffic
    Capture and analyze network traffic on RMI ports for unexpected incoming connections or unusual method invocations. Check Cisco Unified CCX logs under /var/log/active/ for RMI-related entries and authentication failures
    Affected if Unexpected RMI connections are observed or unauthenticated RMI calls are logged

A system is affected if it runs Cisco Unified CCX version 15.0 or any version earlier than 12.5(1)_su03_es07, has Java RMI enabled, and has the RMI interface network-accessible to untrusted attackers.

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 12.5 or later
Fixed in 12.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided security patch for CVE-2025-20354 from Cisco immediately. Until patched, restrict network access to Cisco Unified CCX systems and monitor for suspicious RMI traffic.

Recommended fix High confidence

12.5(1)_su03_es07 or later for 12.x branch; next maintenance release after 15.0 for 15.x branch

  1. Identify the current installed version of Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (CCX) using the system administration interface or CLI
  2. For systems running version 12.5(1) versions before SU3 ES07: Plan upgrade to version 12.5(1)_su03_es07 or later
  3. For systems running version 15.0: Plan upgrade to the next available maintenance release after 15.0 (contact Cisco TAC for specific fixed release)
  4. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade process
  5. Back up the current system configuration following Cisco backup procedures
  6. Download the appropriate software update from Cisco (requires valid service contract)
  7. Apply the upgrade following Cisco Unified CCX upgrade documentation
  8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in the Cisco Unified CCX Serviceability page
Caveat Standard Cisco Unified CCX upgrade precautions apply - ensure valid backup and test in non-production environment first; some configuration changes may be required between major versions

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

Fix this in Unified Contact Center Express Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

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-2025-20354 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