CVE-2025-20349 is a medium-severity OS command injection vulnerability found in the REST API of Cisco Digital Network Architecture Center (DNA Center). The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements in user-supplied input parameters to the REST API, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary OS commands. These commands are executed with root privileges inside a restricted container environment on the affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have valid credentials with at least Observer role access, which is a relatively low privilege level in Cisco DNA Center. The attacker crafts a malicious API request that bypasses input validation and triggers command execution. The affected versions span a wide range of Cisco DNA Center releases, including multiple AIRGAP and HF variants, indicating a long-standing issue across many deployments. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability by enabling unauthorized command execution, potentially leading to data exposure, configuration manipulation, or service disruption. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.3, with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L, reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, no user interaction, and partial impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported yet, but the risk remains significant due to the elevated privileges gained upon exploitation.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk to network management infrastructure. Cisco DNA Center is widely used for automation, orchestration, and management of enterprise and service provider networks. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive network configurations, disruption of network services, or lateral movement within the network. This could impact critical sectors such as finance, telecommunications, government, and energy, where Cisco DNA Center is deployed. The compromise of network management systems can lead to widespread outages or data breaches, affecting confidentiality and availability of critical services. Given the requirement for valid credentials, insider threats or compromised accounts are primary vectors, but phishing or credential theft could enable external attackers. The broad range of affected versions means many organizations may be vulnerable if they have not applied patches or mitigations. The medium severity score suggests a moderate but actionable risk, especially in environments with high-value targets or regulatory compliance requirements such as GDPR.

1. Immediately identify and inventory all Cisco DNA Center deployments and their versions within the organization to assess exposure. 2. Apply the latest Cisco security patches and updates addressing this vulnerability as soon as they become available. 3. Enforce strict access controls and least privilege principles on Cisco DNA Center user accounts, limiting Observer role assignments and monitoring for unusual access patterns. 4. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all accounts with access to Cisco DNA Center to reduce risk of credential compromise. 5. Monitor REST API usage logs for anomalous or suspicious requests that could indicate attempted exploitation. 6. Segment the network to isolate Cisco DNA Center from less trusted networks and restrict API access to trusted management stations. 7. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on network management infrastructure to detect potential weaknesses. 8. Educate administrators and users about phishing and credential security to reduce risk of account compromise. 9. Prepare incident response plans specifically for network management system compromises to enable rapid containment and recovery.