Vulnerability · Published Sep 24, 2025 · Assigned by cisco
CVE-2025-20160
High 8.1
In plain English
A high-severity improper authentication in Cisco IOS XE 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 0.4% (higher than 39% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
A vulnerability in the implementation of the TACACS+ protocol in Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to view sensitive data or bypass authentication. This vulnerability exists because the system does not properly check whether the required TACACS+ shared secret is configured. A machine-in-the-middle attacker could exploit this vulnerability by intercepting and reading unencrypted TACACS+ messages or impersonating the TACACS+ server and falsely accepting arbitrary authentication requests. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to view sensitive information in a TACACS+ message or bypass authentication and gain access to the affected device.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco | IOS | 15.2(6)E115.2(4)E615.2(6)E215.2(4)E715.2(7)E15.2(4)E815.2(6)E2a15.2(6)E2b |
| Cisco | Cisco IOS XE Software | 3.16.8S3.16.9S3.16.10S3.8.6E3.8.7E3.8.8E3.8.9E3.8.10E |
Weakness: CWE-287 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H