Is CVE-2025-20338 being actively exploited?

CVE-2025-20338 is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-20338?

CVE-2025-20338 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.0 (MEDIUM).

CVE-2025-20338

MEDIUM · CVSS 6.0EPSS 0.2%EU EUVD

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with administrative privileges to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user arguments that are passed to specific CLI commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by logging in to the device CLI with valid administrative (level 15) credentials and using crafted commands at the CLI prompt. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root.

Key facts

CVSS score: 6.0 (v3.1)
Severity: MEDIUM
CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Weakness (CWE): CWE-141
EPSS score: 0.2% (5th percentile)
In CISA KEV: No
In EU EUVD: Yes (EUVD-2025-31025)
Published: September 24, 2025
NVD last modified: September 26, 2026
Status: Analyzed

EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD)

This vulnerability is also tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2025-31025 in the EU Vulnerability Database. Last updated in EUVD on February 26, 2026.

View on the EU Vulnerability Database

Affected products

cisco / ios xe
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and 324 more…

Certified products that may be affected

17 FIPS 140 or Common Criteria certified products, from automated matching by sec-certs.org.

Cisco Embedded Services 9300 and 3300 Series Switches (ESS9300 & ESS3300) running IOS-XE 17.15 - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Common Criteria CCEVS-VR-VID-11662-2026 - active
Cisco Catalyst 8000V Edge (C8000V) running IOS-XE 17.15 - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Common Criteria Certificate Number: 2025/161 - active
Cisco 1000 Series Integrated Services Routers (C1100), Cisco Catalyst IR1800 Rugged Series Routers (IR1800), Cisco Catalyst IR8300 Rugged Series Routers (IR8300) running IOS-XE 17.15 - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Common Criteria CCEVS-VR-VID-11643-2025 - active
Cisco Catalyst Industrial Ethernet 9300 Rugged Series Switches running IOS-XE 17.15 - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Common Criteria CCEVS-VR-VID-11603-2025 - active
Cisco Aggregation Services Router 1000 Series (ASR1K), Cisco Catalyst 8200, 8300, 8500 Series Edge Routers (Cat8K) running IOS-XE version 17.15 - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Common Criteria CCEVS-VR-VID-11642-2025 - active

See all 17 in the Security Certifications Explorer.

References

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-arg-inject-EyDDbh4e(Vendor Advisory)

Last updated September 27, 2026 · Source: NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS

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