VulnerabilityPublished 4 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-38741: Dell Enterprise SONiC OS · Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key

Affects Dell Enterprise SONiC OSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 15:59 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 34% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
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: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
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: None: There is no loss of integrity within 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 4 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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Dell Enterprise SONiC OS	Affected =4.5.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should first inventory their network devices to identify any running Dell Enterprise SONiC OS version 4.5.0. Until an official patch is released, organizations should restrict SSH access to trusted management networks using network segmentation and firewall rules, ensuring that SSH management interfaces are not exposed to untrusted networks or the internet. Implementing strict access control lists (ACLs) and VPN tunnels for remote management can reduce exposure. Monitoring network traffic for unusual SSH connection attempts or anomalies can help detect exploitation attempts early. Organizations should also consider disabling SSH on affected devices if feasible or replacing affected devices with versions not impacted by this vulnerability. Additionally, engaging with Dell support for guidance and timely updates is critical. Once a patch is available, prompt application is essential. Finally, organizations should review and enhance their incident response plans to address potential breaches stemming from this vulnerability.

Description

Dell Enterprise SONiC OS, version 4.5.0, contains a cryptographic key vulnerability in SSH. An unauthenticated remote attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to unauthorized access to communication.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-38741 could be substantial, especially for enterprises and service providers relying on Dell Enterprise SONiC OS for their network infrastructure. Unauthorized access to SSH communications could lead to exposure of sensitive configuration data, network management credentials, or other confidential information, potentially enabling further lateral movement or espionage within corporate networks. Given the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability directly, the immediate risk is data confidentiality loss, which can have regulatory implications under GDPR if personal or sensitive data is exposed. Additionally, compromised network devices could be leveraged for advanced persistent threats or to facilitate man-in-the-middle attacks. The lack of required authentication and user interaction increases the risk of automated exploitation attempts, which could be particularly problematic for organizations with exposed management interfaces. The absence of a patch at the time of publication means organizations must rely on compensating controls to mitigate risk, increasing operational complexity and potential exposure time.

CWE-321Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A04:2025: Cryptographic Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product uses a hard-coded, unchangeable cryptographic key.
Architecture and Design
Prevention schemes mirror that of hard-coded password storage.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Transport Layer Protection (opens in a new tab)
User Privacy Protection (opens in a new tab)
Password Storage (opens in a new tab)
Cryptographic Storage (opens in a new tab)
HSTS (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V2.6.2 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000340083/dsa-2025-275-security-update-for-dell-enterprise-sonic-distribution-vulnerabilities (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 12 Aug 2025, 00:59 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-321

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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