CVE-2025-20295 is a vulnerability identified in the Command Line Interface (CLI) of Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Manager Software. This vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands, commonly referred to as OS command injection. Specifically, the flaw is due to insufficient input validation of command arguments supplied by an authenticated user with administrative privileges. An attacker who has valid administrative credentials on an affected device can exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted input to the vulnerable CLI commands. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to read, create, or overwrite any file on the underlying operating system's file system, including critical system files. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, modification of system configurations, or potentially destabilizing the system by corrupting essential files. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Cisco UCS Manager versions, spanning multiple releases from 3.2(1d) through 4.3(6b), indicating a long-standing issue across many deployed versions. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.0, categorized as medium severity, with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges required (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality and integrity (C:H/I:H), but no impact on availability (A:N). No known exploits in the wild have been reported yet. The vulnerability requires authenticated access with administrative privileges, which limits the attack surface but poses a significant risk if credentials are compromised or insider threats exist. The lack of available patches at the time of reporting suggests that organizations must rely on compensating controls until updates are released.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-20295 can be substantial, especially for enterprises and data centers relying on Cisco UCS infrastructure for critical computing and virtualization environments. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data stored on the UCS Manager's underlying OS, manipulation of system files, and potential disruption of management operations. This could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of data and systems managed by UCS, affecting business continuity and regulatory compliance, particularly under GDPR where data protection is paramount. The requirement for administrative credentials means that insider threats or credential theft (via phishing, credential stuffing, or other means) could be leveraged to exploit this vulnerability. Given the widespread use of Cisco UCS in European telecommunications, finance, government, and large enterprises, successful exploitation could facilitate lateral movement within networks, data exfiltration, or sabotage of critical infrastructure. The medium severity rating indicates a moderate but non-trivial risk, emphasizing the need for vigilance in credential management and system monitoring. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, as attackers may develop exploits once the vulnerability is publicly known.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict administrative access to Cisco UCS Manager to trusted personnel only and enforce strong multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 2) Conduct immediate audits of administrative accounts and remove or disable any unnecessary or dormant accounts. 3) Monitor logs and command usage on UCS Manager for unusual or unauthorized command executions that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Apply strict network segmentation and access controls to limit access to UCS Manager interfaces, ideally isolating management networks from general user networks. 5) Until patches are available, consider implementing input validation or command filtering at the network or application layer if possible, to detect and block suspicious command arguments. 6) Maintain up-to-date backups of UCS Manager configurations and system files to enable recovery in case of file tampering. 7) Stay informed on Cisco security advisories for patch releases and apply updates promptly once available. 8) Educate administrators on secure credential handling and the risks of this vulnerability to prevent social engineering attacks that could lead to credential theft.