What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-20138?

CVE-2025-20138 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

Which versions of Ios Xr are affected by CVE-2025-20138?

CVE-2025-20138 presents significant security risk, a OS command injection vulnerability rated CVSS 8.8.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2025-20138?

Within 7 days: Identify all affected systems and apply vendor patches promptly. Validate that input sanitization is in place for all user-controlled parameters.

Ios Xr CVE-2025-20138

HIGH

OS Command Injection (CWE-78)

2025-03-12 psirt@cisco.com

Apple Command Injection Cisco Ios Xr

8.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

8.8 HIGH

AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Mar 28, 2026 - 18:31 vuln.today

CVE Published

Mar 12, 2025 - 16:15 nvd

HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device.

This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user arguments that are passed to specific CLI commands. An attacker with a low-privileged account could exploit this vulnerability by using crafted commands at the prompt. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to root and execute arbitrary commands.

AnalysisAI

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability is classified as OS Command Injection (CWE-78), which allows attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the host. A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user arguments that are passed to specific CLI commands. An attacker with a low-privileged account could exploit this vulnerability by using crafted commands at the prompt. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to root and execute arbitrary commands. Affected products include: Cisco Ios Xr.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Avoid passing user input to shell commands. Use language-specific APIs instead of shell execution. Apply strict input validation with allowlists.