CVE-2025-20188: A vulnerability in the Out-of-Band Access Point (AP) Image Download feature of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) could...
Description
A vulnerability in the Out-of-Band Access Point (AP) Image Download feature of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to upload arbitrary files to an affected system.
This vulnerability is due to the presence of a hard-coded JSON Web Token (JWT) on an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTPS requests to the AP image download interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to upload files, perform path traversal, and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.
Note: For exploitation to be successful, the Out-of-Band AP Image Download feature must be enabled on the device. It is not enabled by default.
Classification
CVE ID: CVE-2025-20188
CVSS Base Severity: CRITICAL
CVSS Base Score: 10.0
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Problem Types
Use of Hard-coded CredentialsAffected Products
Vendor: Cisco
Product: Cisco IOS XE Software
Nuclei Template
http/cves/2025/CVE-2025-20188.yaml
Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)
EPSS Score: 3.8% (probability of being exploited)
EPSS Percentile: 87.54% (scored less or equal to compared to others)
EPSS Date: 2025-06-05 (when was this score calculated)
References
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20188https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-wlc-file-uplpd-rHZG9UfC