CVE-2025-20181: A vulnerability in Cisco IOS Software for Cisco Catalyst 2960X, 2960XR, 2960CX, and 3560CX Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local...
Description
A vulnerability in Cisco IOS Software for Cisco Catalyst 2960X, 2960XR, 2960CX, and 3560CX Series Switches could allow an authenticated, local attacker with privilege level 15 or an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device to execute persistent code at boot time and break the chain of trust.
This vulnerability is due to missing signature verification for specific files that may be loaded during the device boot process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing a crafted file into a specific location on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code at boot time.
Because this allows the attacker to bypass a major security feature of the device, Cisco has raised the Security Impact Rating (SIR) of this advisory from Medium to High.
Classification
CVE ID: CVE-2025-20181
CVSS Base Severity: MEDIUM
CVSS Base Score: 6.8
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Problem Types
Improper Verification of Cryptographic SignatureAffected Products
Vendor: Cisco
Product: IOS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)
EPSS Score: 0.03% (probability of being exploited)
EPSS Percentile: 6.54% (scored less or equal to compared to others)
EPSS Date: 2025-06-04 (when was this score calculated)
References
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20181https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-c2960-3560-sboot-ZtqADrHq