# CVE-2025-20163: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller SSH Host Key Vulnerability

> An attacker can perform a man-in-the-middle attack to impersonate managed devices and capture user credentials due to insufficient SSH host key validation.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-435c-q8rw-j678

## What is CVE-2025-20163?

CVE-2025-20163 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Data Center Network Manager, published on 4 Jun 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the SSH implementation of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to impersonate Cisco NDFC-managed devices.

This vulnerability is due to insufficient SSH host key validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by performing a machine-in-the-middle attack on SSH connections to Cisco NDFC-managed devices, which could allow an attacker to intercept this traffic. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to impersonate a managed device and capture user credentials.

Weakness: CWE-322 (Key Exchange without Entity Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20163?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Nexus Dashboard.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20163?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20163 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20163 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20163 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Data Center Network Manager

- [CVE-2022-20857](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20857/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Unauthorized Access Vulnerabilities (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-20858](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20858/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Unauthorized Access Vulnerabilities (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-20861](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20861/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Unauthorized Access Vulnerabilities (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-20281](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20281/): Cross-site request forgery in Cisco Data Center Network Manager (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-20014](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20014/): Denial of service in Cisco Nexus Dashboard (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20163 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20163 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Data Center Network Manager, published on 4 Jun 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20163 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Data Center Network Manager. 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-2025-20163/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20163/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20163
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20163
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20163

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20163/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.