# CVE-2025-20164: Privilege escalation in IOS

> Authenticated attackers with privilege level 5 can elevate to level 15 via crafted HTTP requests in Cisco IOS Device Manager.

- **Severity:** High 8.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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:** 7 May 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3grg-fvvv-2qrm

## What is CVE-2025-20164?

CVE-2025-20164 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco IOS, published on 7 May 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switch Device Manager (DM) of Cisco IOS Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges.

 This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of authorizations for authenticated users. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to privilege level 15.

 To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials for a user account with privilege level 5 or higher. Read-only DM users are assigned privilege level 5.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20164?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-20164?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20164 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20164 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20164 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20164 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20164 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco IOS, published on 7 May 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-2025-20164 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco IOS. 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-2025-20164/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20164/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20164
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20164
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20164

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20164/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.