Vulnerability in Cisco iOS Xr Software
CVE-2025-20248
A vulnerability in the installation process of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to bypass Cisco IOS XR Software image signature verification and load unsigned software on an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have root-system privileges on the affected device. This vulnerability is due to incomplete validation of files during the installation of an .iso file. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying contents of the .iso image and then installing and activating it on the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to load an unsigned file as part of the image activation process.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.0 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.001 (0.7th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 1st percentile — 0.7% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.001 · change: -0.000
Affected products
- Cisco iOS Xr Software — versions 6.5.3, 6.5.29, 6.5.1
- Cisco iOS Xr — versions 24.1.1, 24.1.2, 24.2.1
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-20248?
- CVE-2025-20248 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco iOS Xr Software, classified under Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature. CVSS score: 6.0/10. Published 2025-09-10.
- How severe is CVE-2025-20248?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.0 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2025-20248 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.