CVE-2025-20292VulnerabilityPublished 27 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-20292: Cisco NX-OS Software · OS Command Injection

Affects Cisco NX-OS SoftwareSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.4 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 07:57 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.4Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 3.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 87% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 27 Aug 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Cisco Cisco NX-OS Software	Affected =8.2 =8.4 =9.2 =9.3 =8.1 =8.3 =8.5 =10.1 =10.2 =10.3 =9.4 =10.4 =10.5	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations should implement a multi-layered mitigation approach beyond generic advice: 1) Immediately audit and restrict CLI access to Cisco NX-OS devices, enforcing the principle of least privilege and using strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative accounts. 2) Monitor and log all CLI activities to detect anomalous commands or input patterns indicative of injection attempts. 3) Apply Cisco’s security advisories and patches as soon as they become available; in the interim, consider upgrading to unaffected NX-OS versions or applying configuration workarounds recommended by Cisco. 4) Conduct regular credential reviews and rotate passwords to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 5) Segment network management interfaces to isolate NX-OS devices from general user networks, limiting local access to trusted administrators only. 6) Employ host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) on network devices where feasible to detect unauthorized file access or command execution. 7) Train network administrators on secure CLI usage and awareness of injection risks. These targeted measures will reduce the likelihood of exploitation and limit potential damage if an attacker gains authenticated access.

Description

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute a command injection attack on the underlying operating system of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid user credentials on the affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by entering crafted input as the argument of an affected CLI command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read and write files on the underlying operating system with the privileges of a non-root user account. File system access is limited to the permissions that are granted to that non-root user account.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to network infrastructure security and operational integrity. Cisco NX-OS devices are commonly deployed in enterprise data centers, service provider networks, and critical infrastructure environments across Europe. Exploitation could allow an insider threat or compromised user account to manipulate device configurations or access sensitive files, potentially disrupting network operations or exposing confidential information. Although the attacker’s privileges are limited, the ability to execute arbitrary OS commands could be leveraged to escalate privileges or pivot to other systems. This risk is particularly acute for sectors with stringent regulatory requirements such as finance, telecommunications, energy, and government, where network device compromise could have cascading effects on service availability and data protection compliance. The medium CVSS score suggests that while remote exploitation is not feasible and user interaction is not required, the necessity for valid credentials limits the attack surface to insiders or attackers who have already breached initial defenses. Nonetheless, the widespread use of affected NX-OS versions in Europe means many organizations could be vulnerable if they have not applied mitigations or upgrades.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-nxos-cmdinj-qhNze5Ss (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 27 Aug 2025, 16:50 UTC

Technical details

References

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