CVE-2025-20374 is a path traversal vulnerability found in the web user interface of Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (UCCX), a widely deployed contact center solution. The root cause is insufficient input validation in specific UI features that handle pathname inputs, allowing an authenticated attacker with administrative privileges to craft malicious requests that traverse directories outside the intended restricted paths. This enables the attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system hosting the UCCX application. The vulnerability affects a broad range of UCCX versions from 10.5(1)SU1 through 15.0.1, including many service updates and extended support releases. The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.9 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based with low attack complexity but requires high privileges and no user interaction. Exploitation does not impact integrity or availability but compromises confidentiality by exposing potentially sensitive files such as configuration files, logs, or credentials stored on the system. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date. The vulnerability was reserved in October 2024 and published in November 2025. Cisco has not yet provided patch links in the provided data, so organizations should monitor Cisco advisories for updates. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where administrative access is shared or weakly controlled, as it could facilitate lateral movement or information gathering for further attacks.

For European organizations, the impact centers on confidentiality breaches within critical contact center infrastructure. UCCX often handles sensitive customer data, call recordings, and internal configurations. Unauthorized read access to system files could expose credentials, configuration details, or personally identifiable information (PII), increasing risks of data leakage and compliance violations under GDPR. Attackers gaining such information could escalate attacks, compromise other systems, or disrupt operations indirectly. The requirement for administrative credentials limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in large organizations with multiple administrators or insufficient access controls. Contact centers in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government are particularly sensitive due to the nature of data processed. Additionally, exposure of system files could aid attackers in crafting more sophisticated attacks or persistence mechanisms. The medium severity rating suggests moderate urgency but should not be ignored given the criticality of contact center services in customer-facing operations.

1. Immediately review and restrict administrative access to the Cisco UCCX web UI, enforcing the principle of least privilege and strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). 2. Monitor Cisco security advisories closely and apply official patches or updates as soon as they become available for the affected UCCX versions. 3. Implement network segmentation and firewall rules to limit access to the UCCX management interface only to trusted administrative hosts and networks. 4. Conduct regular audits of administrative accounts and access logs to detect any unauthorized or suspicious activity. 5. Employ web application firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block directory traversal patterns targeting the UCCX web UI. 6. Where possible, isolate the UCCX management interface from the internet or untrusted networks to reduce exposure. 7. Educate administrators on secure usage practices and the risks of credential compromise. 8. Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions on UCCX hosts to detect anomalous file access patterns. 9. Prepare incident response plans specific to contact center infrastructure to quickly contain and remediate any exploitation attempts.