CVE-2025-20301 is a vulnerability identified in Cisco Secure Firepower Management Center (FMC), specifically affecting its web-based management interface. The flaw arises from missing authorization checks that allow an authenticated user with low privileges to access troubleshoot files belonging to different domains managed on the same FMC instance. Essentially, the vulnerability enables a remote attacker who has valid credentials but limited permissions to bypass domain-level access controls and retrieve sensitive troubleshooting data from other domains. These troubleshoot files may contain sensitive configuration details, network topology information, or other data that could aid further attacks or reconnaissance. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Cisco FMC versions, spanning from 6.2.3 through multiple 7.x releases, indicating a long-standing issue across many deployed versions. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based (remote), requires low privileges but no user interaction, and impacts confidentiality without affecting integrity or availability. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, but the broad version impact and sensitive nature of the data exposed make this a significant concern for organizations relying on Cisco FMC for network security management.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive network management data. Cisco FMC is widely used in enterprise and government sectors across Europe to centrally manage firewalls and security policies. An attacker exploiting this flaw could gain insights into network configurations and troubleshooting data from other domains, potentially facilitating lateral movement, targeted attacks, or data exfiltration. This could undermine the confidentiality of internal network operations and expose sensitive security configurations. Given the critical role FMC plays in security infrastructure, such unauthorized access could weaken overall network defenses. Organizations in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure in Europe may face compliance risks if sensitive data is exposed. Although the vulnerability does not directly impact system integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach alone can have serious operational and reputational consequences.

1. Immediate patching: Organizations should prioritize applying Cisco’s security updates or patches addressing CVE-2025-20301 as soon as they become available. 2. Access control review: Restrict access to the FMC management interface to only trusted administrators and enforce strict role-based access controls to minimize the number of users with any level of access. 3. Network segmentation: Isolate the FMC management network segment from general user networks and limit access via VPN or jump hosts with multi-factor authentication. 4. Monitoring and logging: Enable detailed logging of access to troubleshoot files and regularly audit logs for unusual access patterns or attempts to access cross-domain data. 5. Temporary workarounds: Until patches are applied, consider disabling or restricting access to troubleshoot file retrieval features if feasible. 6. User training: Educate administrators about the risk of using low-privileged accounts and the importance of safeguarding credentials to prevent misuse. 7. Incident response readiness: Prepare to investigate and respond promptly to any signs of exploitation or suspicious activity related to FMC access.