Credential theft via unchecked SSH host keys
Published Jun 4, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026
Improper SSH host-key validation in Cisco NDFC before 12.2.3 allows remote attackers to impersonate managed devices and capture credentials. The SSH client accepts changed device host keys instead of rejecting mismatches, letting an on-path system substitute its key and intercept management traffic. Exploitation requires a machine-in-the-middle position on NDFC-to-device SSH traffic; it exposes credentials and management traffic without interrupting service.
Summary
What happened
Improper SSH host-key validation in Cisco NDFC before 12.2.3 allows remote attackers to impersonate managed devices and capture credentials. The SSH client accepts changed device host keys instead of rejecting mismatches, letting an on-path system substitute its key and intercept management traffic. Exploitation requires a machine-in-the-middle position on NDFC-to-device SSH traffic; it exposes credentials and management traffic without interrupting service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-20163
- Published
- Jun 4, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 26, 2026
- Vendor
- ClamAV
- Product
- Cisco Nexus Dashboard
- Classifications
- CWE-322, T1557
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 4, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 26, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=3.1(1k)
- Affected versionversion=3.1(1l)
- Affected versionversion=3.2(1e)
- Affected versionversion=3.2(1i)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(1a)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(1b)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(2b)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(2g)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(1i)
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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