CVE-2025-20265

CVE-2025-20265 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center with a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 16% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-74.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the RADIUS subsystem implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to inject arbitrary shell commands that are executed by the device.  This vulnerability is due to a lack of proper handling of user input during the authentication phase. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted input when entering credentials that will be authenticated at the configured RADIUS server. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands at a high privilege level. Note: For this vulnerability to be exploited, Cisco Secure FMC Software must be configured for RADIUS authentication for the web-based management interface, SSH management, or both.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-20265?
A vulnerability in the RADIUS subsystem implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to inject arbitrary shell commands that are executed by the device.  This vulnerability is due to a lack of proper handling of user input during the authentication phase. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted input when entering credentials that will be authenticated at the configured RADIUS server. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands at a high privilege level. Note: For this vulnerability to be exploited, Cisco Secure FMC Software must be configured for RADIUS authentication for the web-based management interface, SSH management, or both.
How severe is CVE-2025-20265?
CVE-2025-20265 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2025-20265 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 16% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-20265?
CVE-2025-20265 primarily affects Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-20265?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2025-20265 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2025-20265 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-24840.
When was CVE-2025-20265 published?
CVE-2025-20265 was published on 2025-08-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

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