VulnerabilityPublished 24 Sep 2025

CVE-2025-20293: Cisco IOS XE Software · Incomplete Cleanup

Affects Cisco IOS XE SoftwareSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

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

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
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: None: There is no loss of integrity within 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 24 Sep 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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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 IOS XE Software	Affected 16.10.1 – 17.13.1 42 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Immediate deployment of Cisco-released patches or software updates that address this vulnerability is the most effective mitigation. Organizations should prioritize upgrading affected IOS XE versions to fixed releases as soon as they become available.
Until patches are applied, restrict network access to the management interfaces of Catalyst 9800-CL controllers using network segmentation and access control lists (ACLs) to limit exposure to trusted administrative hosts only.
Monitor network traffic for unusual SCEP requests or certificate enrollment activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. Implement logging and alerting on certificate issuance events.
Review and harden the Day One setup process configurations to ensure that PKI servers are properly disabled or cleaned up post-setup.
Employ network access control (NAC) solutions that can detect and block unauthorized devices even if they possess valid certificates.
Conduct regular audits of issued certificates and revoke any that appear suspicious or unauthorized.
Educate network administrators on the risks of incomplete setup processes and the importance of following Cisco’s security best practices for wireless controller deployment.

Description

A vulnerability in the Day One setup process of Cisco IOS XE Software for Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers for Cloud (9800-CL) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the public-key infrastructure (PKI) server that is running on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to incomplete cleanup upon completion of the Day One setup process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to request a certificate from the virtual wireless controller and then use the acquired certificate to join an attacker-controlled device to the virtual wireless controller.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the security of wireless network infrastructure, especially in sectors heavily reliant on secure wireless communication such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. Unauthorized devices gaining access to corporate wireless networks can lead to data exfiltration, espionage, or serve as a foothold for further attacks within the internal network. Given the widespread deployment of Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series controllers in enterprise and service provider environments across Europe, exploitation could undermine trust in wireless network authentication mechanisms. The ability to obtain valid certificates without authentication compromises the confidentiality of network access controls and could facilitate man-in-the-middle attacks or unauthorized access to sensitive systems. Although the vulnerability does not directly impact system integrity or availability, the indirect consequences of unauthorized network access could be severe, including regulatory non-compliance under GDPR if personal data is exposed. The medium CVSS score reflects the need for timely remediation to prevent potential exploitation, especially as no user interaction or privileges are required for an attacker to exploit this remotely.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-9800cl-openscep-SB4xtxzP (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 24 Sep 2025, 17:24 UTC

Technical details

References

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