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CVE-2025-20363 Cisco IOS XR

Affected softwareCisco IOS XR
Severity9.0 Critical CVSS 3.1
WeaknessCWE-122
Published25 Sep 2025
Updated18 Oct 2026

Description

A vulnerability in the web services of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software, Cisco IOS Software, Cisco IOS XE Software, and Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker (Cisco ASA and FTD Software) or authenticated, remote attacker (Cisco IOS, IOS XE, and IOS XR Software) with low user privileges to execute arbitrary code on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to a targeted web service on an affected device after obtaining additional information about the system, overcoming exploit mitigations, or both. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code as root, which may lead to the complete compromise of the affected device. For more information about this vulnerability, see the Details ["#details"] section of this advisory.

Exploitation status

Exploited

Real-world exploitation reported by VulnCheck KEV. CISA has not confirmed it.

  • CISA KEV not listed
  • VulnCheck KEV listed Exploitation reported in the wild. 8 citations · earliest 2025-10-06.
  • CISA Vulnrichment exploitation: none
  • Indexed PoC none indexed
  • EPSS 7.2% chance in 30 days

VulnCheck KEV

Exploitation evidence from VulnCheck Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (VulnCheck KEV), used under VulnCheck's community terms. View CVE-2025-20363 in VulnCheck (free account), which lists 3 more citations not shown here.

EvidenceSourceDetailDate
Reported exploitation blog.hunterstrategy.net /cisco-0-day-exploitation-arcanedoor-attribution-confirmed 2025-10-06
Reported exploitation rapid7.com /cdn/assets/bltbd2f1cd70f9e3e7f/691360b9c91291146f1a5308/threat-landscape-report-q3-2025.pdf 2025-11-12
Reported exploitation beazley.security /insights/quarterly-threat-report-third-quarter-2025 2025-11-20
Reported exploitation fortiguard.fortinet.com /outbreak-alert/cisco-asa-and-ftd-firewall-zero-day 2025-12-18
Reported exploitation wwv.vulncheck.com /2026-vulncheck-exploit-intelligence-report 2026-02-25

Waratek protection

Outside Waratek scope

A Java vulnerability, but not one Waratek protects. It affects only Java on a user's desktop (applets, Web Start, JavaFX, the installer), sits in a product the Waratek agent can't be installed into, or is in a package we don't expect in business applications. The decision below says which.

  • Protection none
  • Action not pursued none
  • Review automated Upstream data
  • Record active
Decided by The only affected product being a sealed appliance image, where Java runs but no -javaagent can be attached
Finding This CVE names only products the Waratek agent cannot be installed into (cisco/secure_firewall_threat_defense). They ship as sealed appliance images or as native code with no application JVM, so there is no start-up line to add -javaagent to. The vulnerability may well be a Java one; it is permanently out of ARMR's reach rather than outside its subject.

Affected software and releases

Products and versions

5 products, 28 version entries
SourceVendorProductSchemeAffected versions
nvd cisco adaptive security appliance software generic ≥ 9.12 and < 9.12.4.72 · ≥ 9.14 and < 9.14.4.28 · ≥ 9.16 and < 9.16.4.84 · ≥ 9.17.1 and < 9.18.4.57 · ≥ 9.19.1 and < 9.19.1.42 · ≥ 9.20.1 and < 9.20.3.16 · ≥ 9.22 and < 9.22.2 · ≥ 9.23 and < 9.23.1.3
nvd cisco ios generic ≥ 12.2.15 and ≤ 15.9.3
nvd cisco ios xe generic ≥ 3.2.0 and ≤ 17.17.1
nvd cisco ios xr generic 6.5.1 · 6.5.2 · 6.5.3 · 6.6.2 · 6.6.3 · 6.6.25 · 6.7.1 · 6.7.2 · 6.7.3 · 6.8.1 · 6.8.2 · 6.9.1 · 6.9.2
nvd cisco secure firewall threat defense generic ≥ 7.0.0 and < 7.0.8 · ≥ 7.1.0 and < 7.2.10 · ≥ 7.3.0 and < 7.4.2.3 · 7.6.0 · ≥ 7.7.0 and < 7.7.10

References

URLTags
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-http-code-exec-WmfP3h3O Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published2025-09-25By the CVE Program.
VulnCheck KEV: earliest evidence2025-10-06Date of the oldest evidence of exploitation in VulnCheck KEV's record. VulnCheck does not publish the date it listed the CVE.
VulnCheck KEV: latest evidence2026-05-06Date of the newest report, exploit reference or honeypot sighting in VulnCheck KEV's record.
NVD record modified2026-10-18NVD's own last-modified date for this record.