CVE-2025-20344VulnerabilityPublished 27 Aug 2025Updated 26 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-20344: Cisco Nexus Dashboard · Path Traversal

Affects Cisco Nexus DashboardSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

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

EPSS: 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 47% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
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: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to 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 2026-10-25.

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

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-20344, organizations should immediately verify the Cisco Nexus Dashboard versions in use and prioritize upgrading to patched versions once Cisco releases updates addressing this vulnerability. Until patches are available, restrict administrative access to the Nexus Dashboard to trusted personnel only and enforce strong authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication, to reduce the risk of credential compromise. Implement strict network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the management interface to only necessary hosts and networks. Monitor logs and backup restore activities for unusual or unauthorized actions that could indicate exploitation attempts. Avoid restoring backup files from untrusted or unknown sources. Conduct regular audits of administrator accounts and credentials to detect potential insider threats. Consider deploying host-based intrusion detection systems on the underlying devices to detect suspicious filesystem changes or privilege escalations. Engage with Cisco support for any available workarounds or temporary configuration changes that can harden the backup restore process. Finally, incorporate this vulnerability into incident response plans to ensure rapid containment and remediation if exploitation is suspected.

Description

A vulnerability in the backup restore functionality of Cisco Nexus Dashboard could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a path traversal attack on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of the contents of a backup file. An attacker with valid Administrator credentials could exploit this vulnerability by restoring a crafted backup file to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root privileges on the underlying shell on the affected device.

Impact

The impact of CVE-2025-20344 is significant for organizations using Cisco Nexus Dashboard as it allows an authenticated attacker with administrator privileges to escalate to root access on the underlying device. This level of access can lead to full compromise of the network management platform, enabling attackers to manipulate network configurations, disrupt operations, exfiltrate sensitive data, or deploy persistent malware. The confidentiality and integrity of the device and potentially the broader network environment are at high risk. Although availability impact is not directly indicated, root compromise could enable denial-of-service conditions or sabotage. The vulnerability affects a wide range of versions, meaning many organizations may have unpatched systems. Given the critical role of Cisco Nexus Dashboard in managing data center and enterprise networks, exploitation could have cascading effects on network stability and security. The requirement for administrator credentials limits the attack surface but insider threats or credential compromise scenarios increase risk. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate threat but the medium severity score and potential for root access warrant urgent remediation. Organizations could face regulatory and compliance consequences if exploited, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-nd-ptrs-XU2Fm2Wb (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 27 Feb 2026, 00:24 UTC

Technical details

References

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