# CVE-2025-20156: Cisco Meeting Management Client-Server Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> Authenticated low-privilege attackers can escalate to administrator via REST API due to missing authorization checks in Cisco Meeting Management.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Jan 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8m34-ghfg-xxc2

## What is CVE-2025-20156?

CVE-2025-20156 is a critical vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Management, published on 22 Jan 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the REST API of Cisco Meeting Management could allow a remote, authenticated attacker with low privileges to elevate privileges to administrator on an affected device.

This vulnerability exists because proper authorization is not enforced upon REST API users. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending API requests to a specific endpoint. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain administrator-level control over edge nodes that are managed by Cisco Meeting Management.

Weakness: CWE-274 (Improper Handling of Insufficient Privileges)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20156?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Meeting Management.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20156?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20156 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20156 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20156 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Meeting Management

- [CVE-2026-20098](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20098/): Cisco Meeting Management Arbitrary File Upload Vulnerability (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2024-20507](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20507/): Cisco Meeting Management Information Disclosure Vulnerability (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20156 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20156 is a critical vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Management, published on 22 Jan 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20156 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Meeting Management. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20156/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20156/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20156
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20156
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20156

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20156/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.