Persistent code execution via unsigned boot files
Published May 7, 2025 · Updated May 7, 2025
Secure boot bypass in Cisco IOS on affected Catalyst switches allows attackers to run persistent code at boot from a crafted file. The boot process loads specific files without verifying their cryptographic signatures, so a file placed in the required location executes before trust is established. Exploitation requires either physical access without authentication or local privilege level 15 access, and successful code survives reboot while breaking the device's chain of trust.
Summary
What happened
Secure boot bypass in Cisco IOS on affected Catalyst switches allows attackers to run persistent code at boot from a crafted file. The boot process loads specific files without verifying their cryptographic signatures, so a file placed in the required location executes before trust is established. Exploitation requires either physical access without authentication or local privilege level 15 access, and successful code survives reboot while breaking the device's chain of trust.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-20181
- Published
- May 7, 2025
- Updated
- May 7, 2025
- Vendor
- ClamAV
- Product
- Cisco IOS
- Classifications
- CWE-347, CAPEC-475, T1542.003
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 7, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 7, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=15.0(1)EX
- Affected versionversion=15.0(1)EY
- Affected versionversion=15.0(1)EY1
- Affected versionversion=15.0(1)EY2
- Affected versionversion=15.0(1)XO
- Affected versionversion=15.0(1)XO1
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2a)EX5
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX1
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX10
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX11
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX12
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX13
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX2
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX3
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX4
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX5
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)EX8
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SE8
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD1
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD2
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD3
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD4
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD5
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD6
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD7
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)SQD8
- Affected versionversion=15.0(2)XO
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2a)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2a)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E10
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E3
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E4
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E5
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E5a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E5b
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E6
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E7
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E8
- Affected versionversion=15.2(2)E9
- Affected versionversion=15.2(3a)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(3)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(3)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(3)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(3)E3
- Affected versionversion=15.2(3)E4
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E10
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E10a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E10d
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E3
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E4
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E5
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E6
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E7
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E8
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)E9
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)EA7
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)EA8
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)EA9
- Affected versionversion=15.2(4)EA9a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(5b)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(5)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(5)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(5)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E0a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E0c
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E2a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E2b
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)E3
- Affected versionversion=15.2(6)EB
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7a)E0b
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7b)E0b
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E0a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E0b
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E0s
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E10
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E1a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E2a
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E3
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E3k
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E4
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E5
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E6
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E7
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E8
- Affected versionversion=15.2(7)E9
- Affected versionversion=15.2(8)E
- Affected versionversion=15.2(8)E1
- Affected versionversion=15.2(8)E2
- Affected versionversion=15.2(8)E3
- Affected versionversion=15.2(8)E4
- Affected versionversion=15.2(8)E5
- Affected versionversion=15.2(8)E6
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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