CVE-2025-20185

Root command execution via service password generation

Published Feb 5, 2025 · Updated Feb 5, 2025

Privilege escalation in Cisco Secure Email, Secure Web Appliance, and Secure Email and Web Manager allows local administrators to gain root. The remote-access password-generation algorithm lets an administrator generate a temporary password for the service account. Valid administrator credentials and local access are required; successful exploitation exposes the underlying operating system to arbitrary root commands.

CVSS severity3.1
Low
EPSS probability0.19%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Cisco Secure Email, Secure Web Appliance, and Secure Email and Web Manager allows local administrators to gain root. The remote-access password-generation algorithm lets an administrator generate a temporary password for the service account. Valid administrator credentials and local access are required; successful exploitation exposes the underlying operating system to arbitrary root commands.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-20185
Published
Feb 5, 2025
Updated
Feb 5, 2025
Vendor
ClamAV
Product
Cisco Secure Email
Classifications
CWE-250, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 5, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 5, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=13.0.0-392
  2. Affected versionversion=13.0.5-007
  3. Affected versionversion=13.5.1-277
  4. Affected versionversion=13.5.4-038
  5. Affected versionversion=14.0.0-698
  6. Affected versionversion=14.2.0-620
  7. Affected versionversion=14.2.1-020
  8. Affected versionversion=14.3.0-032
  9. Affected versionversion=15.0.0-104
  10. Affected versionversion=15.0.1-030
  11. Affected versionversion=15.0.3-002
  12. Affected versionversion=15.5.0-048
  13. Affected versionversion=15.5.1-055
  14. Affected versionversion=15.5.2-018

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

ClamAV · Cisco Secure Emailversion=13.0.0-392; version=13.0.5-007; version=13.5.1-277; version=13.5.4-038; version=14.0.0-698; version=14.2.0-620; version=14.2.1-020; version=14.3.0-032; version=15.0.0-104; version=15.0.1-030; version=15.0.3-002; version=15.5.0-048; version=15.5.1-055; version=15.5.2-018
ClamAV · Cisco Secure Web Applianceversion=11.8.0-414; version=11.8.0-429; version=11.8.0-453; version=11.8.1-023; version=11.8.3-018; version=11.8.3-021; version=11.8.4-004; version=12.0.1-268; version=12.0.1-334; version=12.0.2-004; version=12.0.2-012; version=12.0.3-005; version=12.0.3-007; version=12.0.4-002; version=12.0.5-011; version=12.5.1-011; version=12.5.1-043; version=12.5.2-007; version=12.5.2-011; version=12.5.3-002; version=12.5.4-005; version=12.5.4-011; version=12.5.5-004; version=12.5.5-005; version=12.5.5-008; version=12.5.6-008; version=14.0.1-014; version=14.0.1-040; version=14.0.1-053; version=14.0.1-503; version=14.0.2-012; version=14.0.3-014; version=14.0.4-005; version=14.0.5-007; version=14.1.0-032; version=14.1.0-041; version=14.1.0-047; version=14.5.0-498; version=14.5.0-537; version=14.5.0-673; version=14.5.1-008; version=14.5.1-016; version=14.5.1-510; version=14.5.1-607; version=14.5.2-011; version=14.5.3-033; version=15.0.0-322; version=15.0.0-355; version=15.0.1-004; version=15.1.0-287; version=15.2.0-116; version=15.2.0-164; version=15.2.1-011
ClamAV · Cisco Secure Email and Web Managerversion=12.8.1-002; version=12.8.1-021; version=13.0.0-249; version=13.0.0-277; version=13.6.1-201; version=13.6.2-023; version=13.6.2-078; version=13.8.1-052; version=13.8.1-068; version=13.8.1-074; version=13.8.1-108; version=14.0.0-404; version=14.1.0-227; version=14.2.0-203; version=14.2.0-212; version=14.2.0-224; version=14.3.0-120; version=15.0.0-334; version=15.5.1-024; version=15.5.1-029; version=15.5.2-005

Published CVSS scores

3.1Cisco Systems, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-250Execution with Unnecessary Privileges
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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