# CVE-2025-20178: Cisco Secure Network Analytics Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> An authenticated admin can execute arbitrary commands as root by restoring a malicious backup file in Cisco Secure Network Analytics.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 16 Apr 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vr9w-fp6c-vj58

## What is CVE-2025-20178?

CVE-2025-20178 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Secure Network Analytics, published on 16 Apr 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Secure Network Analytics could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with valid administrative credentials to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system.


This vulnerability is due to insufficient integrity checks within device backup files. An attacker with valid administrative credentials could exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious backup file and restoring it to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain shell access on the underlying operating system with the privileges of root.

Weakness: CWE-347 (Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20178?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Secure Network Analytics.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20178?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20178 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20178 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20178 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Secure Network Analytics

- [CVE-2023-20102](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20102/): Cisco Secure Network Analytics Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2025-20256](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20256/): Cisco Secure Network Analytics Manager Server-Side Template Injection Vulnerability (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2025-20257](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20257/): Cisco Secure Network Analytics API Authorization Vulnerability (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2022-20663](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20663/): Secure Network Analytics Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2022-20797](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20797/): Cisco Secure Network Analytics Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20178 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20178 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Secure Network Analytics, published on 16 Apr 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20178 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Secure Network Analytics. 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-2025-20178/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20178/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20178
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20178
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20178

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20178/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.