# CVE-2025-20344: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Path Traversal Vulnerability

> An authenticated administrator can exploit a path traversal flaw in backup restore to gain root privileges on Cisco Nexus Dashboard.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Aug 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r35c-j587-4x58

## What is CVE-2025-20344?

CVE-2025-20344 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Nexus Dashboard, published on 27 Aug 2025. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the backup restore functionality of Cisco Nexus Dashboard could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a path traversal attack on an affected device.

This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of the contents of a backup file. An attacker with valid Administrator credentials could exploit this vulnerability by restoring a crafted backup file to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain root privileges on the underlying shell on the affected device.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20344?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Nexus Dashboard.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20344?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20344 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20344 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20344 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Nexus Dashboard

- [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-2025-20163](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20163/): Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller SSH Host Key Vulnerability (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2024-20281](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20281/): Cross-site request forgery in Cisco Data Center Network Manager (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20344 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20344 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Nexus Dashboard, published on 27 Aug 2025. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20344 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Nexus Dashboard. 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-2025-20344/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20344/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20344
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20344
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20344

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20344/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.