Ethical Hacking News
Cisco has issued a warning about a high-severity security flaw in their IOS Software and IOS XE Software that could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability, CVE-2025-20352, has been exploited in the wild, and Cisco advises all affected devices to be considered vulnerable until a patch is released.
A high-severity security flaw has been discovered in Cisco's IOS Software and IOS XE Software, allowing a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a stack overflow condition in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) subsystem and can be exploited by sending a crafted SNMP packet over IPv4 or IPv6 networks. Authenticated remote attackers with certain credentials can cause a denial-of-service (DoS) or execute code as the root user on affected devices. Meraki MS390 and Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches that run Meraki CS 17 and earlier are specifically affected, while Cisco IOS XR Software and NX-OS Software are not impacted. Cisco has released a patch for the vulnerability in their IOS XE Software Release 17.15.4a and advises users to apply it immediately to minimize risk.
In a recent announcement, Cisco warned of a high-severity security flaw in their IOS Software and IOS XE Software that could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-20352, has been exploited in the wild, according to Cisco.
The issue, per the networking equipment major, is rooted in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) subsystem, arising as a result of a stack overflow condition. This means that an authenticated, remote attacker could exploit the flaw by sending a crafted SNMP packet to an affected device over IPv4 or IPv6 networks.
To cause the DoS, the attacker must have the SNMPv2c or earlier read-only community string or valid SNMPv3 user credentials. On the other hand, if the attacker has high privileges and also possesses the SNMPv1 or v2c read-only community string or valid SNMPv3 user credentials and administrative or privilege 15 credentials on the affected device, they can execute code as the root user.
The company said that all versions of SNMP are affected by this vulnerability. Moreover, it affects Meraki MS390 and Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches that are running Meraki CS 17 and earlier. However, Cisco IOS XR Software and NX-OS Software are not impacted by this issue.
Cisco has taken steps to mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2025-20352. One of the proposed workarounds is to allow only trusted users to have SNMP access on an affected system, and to monitor the systems by running the "show snmp host" command.
Administrators can disable the affected OIDs on a device, but it's essential to note that not all software will support the OID listed in the mitigation. Excluding these OIDs may affect device management through SNMP, such as discovery and hardware inventory.
Cisco has fixed this vulnerability in their IOS XE Software Release 17.15.4a. In light of this, Cisco advises users of affected devices to immediately apply the patch to minimize the risk associated with CVE-2025-20352.
As a reminder, cybersecurity is an ongoing process that requires constant vigilance and proactive measures to prevent exploitation by malicious actors. It's crucial for organizations to keep their systems up-to-date with the latest security patches and to implement robust network security protocols to safeguard against such threats.
Furthermore, it highlights the importance of proper SNMP configuration and management practices. Administrators must ensure that only authorized personnel have access to SNMP services and take steps to limit the impact of this vulnerability on their networks.
In conclusion, Cisco's warning about CVE-2025-20352 serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat landscape in cybersecurity. It underscores the need for organizations to prioritize network security and implement robust measures to prevent exploitation by malicious actors.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Cisco-Warns-of-Actively-Exploited-SNMP-Vulnerability-Allowing-Remote-Code-Execution-and-Denial-of-Service-ehn.shtml
https://thehackernews.com/2025/09/cisco-warns-of-actively-exploited-snmp.html
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisco-warns-of-ios-zero-day-vulnerability-exploited-in-attacks/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20352
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2025-20352/
Published: Thu Sep 25 03:13:49 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
