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CVE-2025-20189

7.4 · HIGH

A vulnerability in the Cisco Express Forwarding functionality of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco ASR 903 Aggregation Services Routers with Route Switch Processor 3 (RSP3C) could allow an unauthenti…

Published May 7, 2025CWE-762EPSS 0.25%

Overview

CVE-2025-20189 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on May 7, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.4 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.4, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

A vulnerability in the Cisco Express Forwarding functionality of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco ASR 903 Aggregation Services Routers with Route Switch Processor 3 (RSP3C) could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition.

This vulnerability is due to improper memory management when Cisco IOS XE Software is processing Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) messages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted ARP messages at a high rate over a period of time to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to exhaust system resources, which eventually triggers a reload of the active route switch processor (RSP). If a redundant RSP is not present, the router reloads.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-20189?

CVE-2025-20189 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on May 7, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.4 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2025-20189?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.4, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-20189?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2025-20189?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2025-20189 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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