How severe is CVE-2025-20155?

CVE-2025-20155 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2025-20155 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-20155?

CVE-2025-20155 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe. In total, 28 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2025-20155?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2025-20155 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2025-20155 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-13899.

When was CVE-2025-20155 published?

CVE-2025-20155 was published on 2025-05-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2025-20155

CVE-2025-20155 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-1287.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (4th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-13899
Weakness: CWE-1287
Affected product: Cisco Ios Xe
Published: 2025-05-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in the bootstrap loading of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to write arbitrary files to an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of the bootstrap file that is read by the system software when a device is first deployed in SD-WAN mode or when an administrator configures SD-Routing on the device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying a bootstrap file generated by Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, loading it into the device flash, and then either reloading the device in a green field deployment in SD-WAN mode or configuring the device with SD-Routing. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform arbitrary file writes to the underlying operating system.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-20155?: A vulnerability in the bootstrap loading of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to write arbitrary files to an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of the bootstrap file that is read by the system software when a device is first deployed in SD-WAN mode or when an administrator configures SD-Routing on the device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying a bootstrap file generated by Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, loading it into the device flash, and then either reloading the device in a green field deployment in SD-WAN mode or configuring the device with SD-Routing. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform arbitrary file writes to the underlying operating system.
How severe is CVE-2025-20155?: CVE-2025-20155 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2025-20155 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-20155?: CVE-2025-20155 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe. In total, 28 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-20155?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2025-20155 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2025-20155 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-13899.
When was CVE-2025-20155 published?: CVE-2025-20155 was published on 2025-05-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-bootstrap-KfgxYgdh

Affected products (28)

cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.4a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.5a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.5b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.5e:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.5f:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.9.6a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.11.99sw:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.1w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.1x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.1y:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.1z:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.1z1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.2a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.3a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.4a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.12.4b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.13.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.13.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.14.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.14.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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