CVE-2025-20195: Cisco IOS XE CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-20195 Overview

CVE-2025-20195 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco IOS XE Software. The flaw stems from insufficient CSRF protections in the affected web UI [CWE-352]. An unauthenticated, remote attacker can exploit the issue by persuading an already authenticated user to click a crafted link. A successful exploit allows the attacker to execute commands on the CLI of the affected device, limited to the privileges of the targeted user.

Critical Impact
A successful attack can clear the syslog, parser, and licensing logs on the affected device, degrading forensic visibility and potentially masking attacker activity.

Affected Products

Cisco IOS XE Software 16.x releases (16.1.1 through 16.12.12)
Cisco IOS XE Software 17.x releases (17.1.1 through 17.14.1a)
Devices with the web-based management interface (Web UI) enabled

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-07 - CVE-2025-20195 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-20195

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the web-based management interface (Web UI) of Cisco IOS XE Software. The interface fails to adequately validate the origin or authenticity of state-changing HTTP requests submitted by authenticated administrative sessions. Because required CSRF tokens or equivalent request-origin verification are missing or insufficient, an attacker-crafted HTML page or link can trigger privileged CLI operations under the identity of an authenticated user. Exploitation requires user interaction (UI:R) but does not require the attacker to hold any credentials on the target device.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient CSRF protection [CWE-352] on privileged endpoints in the IOS XE Web UI. Requests originating from a browser session with valid authentication cookies are trusted without verifying that the request was intentionally issued from within the management interface. This trust boundary failure allows an off-origin page to invoke administrative functions such as log clearing operations.

Attack Vector

An attacker crafts a malicious web page containing a forged HTTP request targeting the Cisco IOS XE Web UI. The attacker then delivers the link via phishing, forum posts, or an already compromised web resource. When an administrator with an active authenticated session visits the page, the browser automatically attaches session credentials to the forged request. The device processes the request as legitimate and executes CLI commands to clear the syslog, parser, and licensing logs, provided the victim's account holds the required privileges.

// No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available for CVE-2025-20195.
// Refer to the Cisco Security Advisory for authoritative technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-20195

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected clear logging, clear parser statistics, or clear license events in device audit records.
Gaps or truncation in syslog history that do not correspond to scheduled maintenance windows.
Web UI HTTP requests to administrative endpoints with Referer or Origin headers pointing to external, unrelated domains.
Log-clearing actions initiated shortly after an administrator visited an external URL.

Detection Strategies

Forward IOS XE syslog and AAA accounting records to a centralized SIEM and alert on log-clearing commands.
Correlate device management events with proxy or firewall logs to identify administrators redirected to suspicious URLs prior to log-clear events.
Baseline normal log-clearing frequency per administrator and alert on deviations.

Monitoring Recommendations

Continuously ingest IOS XE archive log config and AAA command accounting into long-term storage outside the device.
Monitor HTTP/HTTPS access logs to the Web UI for cross-origin request patterns and unusual Referer values.
Alert on administrator sessions that perform sensitive actions immediately after web navigation events captured by proxy logs.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-20195

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fixed IOS XE release identified in the Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-webui-multi-ARNHM4v6.
Restrict access to the Web UI to a dedicated management network or jump host.
Instruct administrators to log out of the Web UI when not actively performing tasks and to avoid browsing untrusted sites from management workstations.

Patch Information

Cisco has published fixed software releases in the Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-webui-multi-ARNHM4v6. Administrators should review the advisory to identify the first fixed release applicable to their IOS XE train and upgrade accordingly.

Workarounds

Disable the HTTP and HTTPS servers on IOS XE devices if the Web UI is not required for operations.
Enforce access control lists that limit Web UI reachability to trusted management subnets.
Require administrators to use dedicated privileged access workstations that block general web browsing during management sessions.

bash

# Disable the Web UI if it is not needed
configure terminal
 no ip http server
 no ip http secure-server
end
write memory