Vulnerability · Published Mar 12, 2025 · Assigned by cisco
CVE-2025-20143Cisco IOS XR Software Secure Boot Bypass Vulnerability
Medium 6.7
In plain English
A medium-severity security flaw in Cisco IOS XR Software from Cisco. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.1% (higher than 1% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
A vulnerability in the boot process of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with high privileges to bypass the Secure Boot functionality and load unverified 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 insufficient verification of modules in the software load process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by manipulating the loaded binaries to bypass some of the integrity checks that are performed during the booting process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to control the boot configuration, which could enable them to bypass the requirement to run Cisco-signed images or alter the security properties of the running system. Note: This vulnerability affects Cisco IOS XR Software, not the Secure Boot feature. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco | Cisco IOS XR Software | 6.5.36.5.26.5.926.5.16.5.156.6.27.0.16.6.25 |
Weakness: CWE-347 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H