Overview
CVE-2025-20315 is a severe vulnerability found in the Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR) feature of Cisco IOS XE Software. This flaw allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause an affected device to reload, creating a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability has significant importance as it affects a wide range of devices running on Cisco IOS XE Software, potentially causing extensive downtime and disruption. The ease of exploit and potential system compromise or data leakage necessitates prompt attention and mitigation.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-20315
Severity: High (8.6 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network-based
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Unexpected device reloading, potential system compromise or data leakage, and denial of service.
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Cisco IOS XE Software | All versions prior to the latest patch
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability arises from improper handling of malformed Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) packets. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending malformed CAPWAP packets through a device running on vulnerable Cisco IOS XE Software. Successful exploitation could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload unexpectedly, leading to a denial of service condition.
Conceptual Example Code
This conceptual example demonstrates the potential exploit of this vulnerability. An attacker could send a malformed CAPWAP packet like this:
POST /CAPWAP/packet HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/capwap
{ "malformed_packet": "malicious_payload" }This malformed CAPWAP packet could cause the device to reload, creating a denial of service condition.
Mitigation Actions
Vulnerable users are advised to apply the vendor patch from Cisco immediately. As a temporary mitigation, users can also use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to detect and prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability. However, these temporary measures do not replace the need for patching the system, which offers a more permanent solution to the vulnerability.
