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CRITICAL

CVE-2025-20188

CVSS v3

10

CRITICAL

EPSS Score

27.5 %

exploit probability, as of 2026-10-18

CISA KEV

No

known exploited

Exploitation

—

SSVC status

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Affected and fixed versions

Neither OSV.dev nor the vendor advisories we read list affected versions for CVE-2025-20188 yet.

Full record on NVD

Description

A vulnerability in the Out-of-Band Access Point (AP) Image Download, the Clean Air Spectral Recording, and the client debug bundles features of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to upload arbitrary files to an affected system. This vulnerability is due to the presence of a hard-coded JSON Web Token (JWT) on an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTPS requests to the AP file upload interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to upload files, perform path traversal, and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.

Technical details

Published
2025-05-07

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-20188?

A vulnerability in the Out-of-Band Access Point (AP) Image Download, the Clean Air Spectral Recording, and the client debug bundles features of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to upload arbitrary files to an affected system. This vulnerability is due to the presence of a hard-coded JSON Web Token (JWT) on an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTPS requests to the AP file upload interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to upload files, perform path traversal, and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.

Is CVE-2025-20188 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2025-20188 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 27.5% on 2026-10-18, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-20188?

CVE-2025-20188 has a CVSS v3 base score of 10 (CRITICAL severity).

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