# CVE-2025-20214: Missing authorization in Cisco IOS XE Software

> Authenticated attackers can bypass NACM restrictions to read unauthorized configuration or operational data via NETCONF, RESTCONF, or gNMI.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **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:** 7 May 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-fv9x-wjcx-9cgm

## What is CVE-2025-20214?

CVE-2025-20214 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe, 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 Network Configuration Access Control Module (NACM) of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to obtain unauthorized read access to configuration or operational data.

 This vulnerability exists because a subtle change in inner API call behavior causes results to be filtered incorrectly. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using either NETCONF, RESTCONF, or gRPC Network Management Interface (gNMI) protocols and query data on paths that may have been denied by the NACM configuration. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access data that should have been restricted according to the NACM configuration.

 Note: This vulnerability requires that the attacker obtain the credentials from a valid user with privileges lower than 15, and that NACM was configured to provide restricted read access for that user.

Weakness: CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20214?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios Xe.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20214?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20214 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20214 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20214 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios Xe

- [CVE-2023-20198](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20198/): Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-0151](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0151/): Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software Quality of Service Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-20273](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20273/): Cisco IOS XE Web UI Command Injection (high 7.2, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-20188](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20188/): Hardcoded credentials in Cisco IOS XE Software (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-34770](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34770/): Cisco IOS XE Software for Catalyst 9000 Family Wireless Controllers CAPWAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20214 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20214 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe, 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-2025-20214 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Ios Xe. 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-2025-20214/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20214/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20214
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20214
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20214

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20214/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.