CVE-2025-20181

mediumpriority · track · 0EPSS 0.002 · 10 %ileDEEUNLRUUS
grimoire priorityP3 · Track
Exploitable?
—
no known exploitation
Likely / severe?
0.20% (10th) EPSS
CVSS 6.8 · medium
Is it mine?
544 products
Check your exposure
Who says so?
6 sources
cnnvd · enisa_euvd · fstec_bdu · cert_bund

EPSS · scored 2026-10-27

A vulnerability in Cisco IOS Software for Cisco Catalyst 2960X, 2960XR, 2960CX, and 3560CX Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker with privilege level 15 or an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device to execute persistent code at boot time and break the chain of trust. This vulnerability is due to missing signature verification for specific files that may be loaded during the device boot process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing a crafted file into a specific location on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code at boot time. Because this allows the attacker to bypass a major security feature of the device, Cisco has raised the Security Impact Rating (SIR) of this advisory from Medium to High.

01

remediations

Vendor fix, mitigation, or workaround guidance, as published by each source.

A vendor fix is available.

02

cvss

Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.

6.8
010

base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode

v3.06.8mediumCVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · ENISA EU
v3.06.8mediumCVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · psirt@cisco.com USexploitability 0.9 · impact 5.9
v3.06.8mediumCVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · NCSC-NL NL
v3.06.8mediumCVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · Cisco PSIRT US
v3.16.8mediumAV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · FSTEC (BDU) RU
03

ssvc

A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalcoordinatorcisa_ssvcUS
04

weaknesses

The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.

CWE-347USCWE-347USCWE-347US
05

affected products (544)

Products and version ranges known to be affected.

showing 20 of 544
06

advisories (3)

Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.

  • NCSC-2025-0146Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco IOS XE SoftwareNL2025-05-08csaf · ncsc_nlNL

    Cisco heeft kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco IOS XE Software.

  • WID-SEC-W-2025-0972Cisco IOS-Software für Cisco Catalyst Switches: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Umgehen von SicherheitsvorkehrungenDeutsch2025-05-07csaf · cert_bundDE

    Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Cisco IOS für Cisco Catalyst Switches ausnutzen, um Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen und beliebigen Code auszuführen.

  • cisco-sa-c2960-3560-sboot-ZtqADrHqCisco IOS Software for Cisco Catalyst 2960X, 2960XR, 2960CX, and 3560CX Series Switches Secure Boot Bypass Vulnerability2025-05-07csaf · cisco_csafUS

    A vulnerability in Cisco IOS Software for Cisco Catalyst 2960X, 2960XR, 2960CX, and 3560CX Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker with privilege level 15 or an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device to execute persistent code at boot time and break the chain of trust. This vulnerability is due to missing signature verification for specific files that may be loaded during the device boot process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing a crafted file into a specific location on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code at boot time. Because this allows the attacker to bypass a major security feature of the device, Cisco has raised the Security Impact Rating (SIR) of this advisory from Medium to High. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. This advisory is part of the May 2025 release of the Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: May 2025 Semiannual Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication ["https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/viewErp.x?alertId=ERP-75279"].

07

also known as (4)

Other names and identifiers for this entity.

08

sources

Which sources assert this record, and when.

cnnvdenisa_euvdfstec_bducert_bundcisco_csafncsc_nlNVDCVE.orgMITRE
published 2025-05-07modified 2026-06-17
09

references (4)

External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.

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