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Full vulnerability report · 2025
CVE-2025-20225High confidence

Cisco IOS — Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

Cisco · IOS

Official source article: Cisco CISCO-SA-ASA-FTD-IOS-DOS-DOESHWHY ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

5.8MediumCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Scheduled

Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.

Fix not verified
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityMediumOperational priority:Medium, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 0.71% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Cisco IOS and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2025-24875

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionScheduled

Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.

Fix not verified
01

What, why and how

A vulnerability in the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) feature of Cisco IOS Software, IOS XE Software, Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a memory leak, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to a lack of proper processing of IKEv2 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IKEv2 packets to an affected device. In the case of Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, a successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload unexpectedly. In the case of Cisco ASA and FTD Software, a successful exploit could allow the attacker to partially exhaust system memory, causing system instability such as being unable to establish new IKEv2 VPN sessions. A manual reboot of the device is required to recover from this condition.

What

A vulnerability in the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) feature of Cisco IOS Software, IOS XE Software, Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a memory leak, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to a lack of proper processing of IKEv2 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IKEv2 packets to an affected device. In the case of Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, a successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload unexpectedly. In the case of Cisco ASA and FTD Software, a successful exploit could allow the attacker to partially exhaust system memory, causing system instability such as being unable to establish new IKEv2 VPN sessions. A manual reboot of the device is required to recover from this condition.

Why

The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

What

A vulnerability in the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) feature of Cisco IOS Software, IOS XE Software, Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to trigger a memory leak, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to a lack of proper processing of IKEv2 packets. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IKEv2 packets to an affected device. In the case of Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, a successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload unexpectedly. In the case of Cisco ASA and FTD Software, a successful exploit could allow the attacker to partially exhaust system memory, causing system instability such as being unable to establish new IKEv2 VPN sessions. A manual reboot of the device is required to recover from this condition.

Why

The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime → disrupt the affected service
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Changed: exploitation can affect a different security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-401 ↗

CWE-401: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime. The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SChangedScope: The attack can affect a component governed by a different security authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.ALowAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a limited loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedDenial of serviceCWE-401
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2025-1838Cisco IOS, XE, ASA, FTD: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service

Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Cisco IOS, Cisco IOS XE, Secure Firewall Threat Defense und Cisco ASA (Adaptive Security Appliance) ausnutzen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2025-AVI-0708Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Cisco

De multiples vulnérabilités ont été découvertes dans les produits Cisco. Certaines d'entre elles permettent à un attaquant de provoquer une exécution de code arbitraire à distance, un déni de service à distance et une atteinte à l'intégrité des données.

Official advisory ↗
NCSC-NL · Dutch · NCSC-2025-0264Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco Secure Firewall Software

De kwetsbaarheden bevinden zich in de manier waarop Cisco Secure Firewall de sleutel uitwisseling afhandeld (IKEv2), hiermee is het mogelijk voor een ongeauthenticeerde aanvaller om een Denial-of-Service aanval uit te voeren. De kwetsbaarheid met kenmerk CVE-2025-20265 bevind zich in de implementatie van het RADIUS-subsysteem, hierdoor is het mogelijk voor een ongeauthenticeerde kwaadwillende om willekeurige commando's uit te voeren op het onderliggende systeem.

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix not verified
Affected
  • IOS: 15.1(2)T, 15.1(1)T4, 15.1(3)T2, 15.1(1)T1, 15.1(2)T0a, 15.1(3)T3, 15.1(1)T3, 15.1(2)T3, 15.1(2)T4, 15.1(1)T2, 15.1(3)T, 15.1(2)T2a, 15.1(3)T1, 15.1(1)T, 15.1(2)T2, 15.1(2)T1, 15.1(2)T5, 15.1(3)T4, 15.1(1)T5, 15.3(1)T, 15.3(2)T, 15.3(1)T1, 15.3(1)T2, 15.3(1)T3, 15.3(1)T4, 15.3(2)T1, 15.3(2)T2, 15.3(2)T3, 15.3(2)T4, 15.0(2)EY, 15.0(2)EY1, 15.0(2)EY2, 15.0(2)EY3, 15.1(4)M3, 15.1(4)M, 15.1(4)M1, 15.1(4)M2, 15.1(4)M6, 15.1(4)M5, 15.1(4)M4, 15.1(4)M7, 15.1(4)M3a, 15.1(4)M10, 15.1(4)M8, 15.1(4)M9, 15.0(2)SE, 15.0(2)SE1, 15.0(2)SE2, 15.0(2)SE3, 15.0(2)SE4, 15.0(2)SE5, 15.0(2)SE6, 15.0(2)SE7, 15.0(2)SE8, 15.0(2)SE9, 15.0(2)SE10, 15.0(2)SE11, 15.0(2)SE10a, 15.0(2)SE12, 15.0(2)SE13, 15.1(2)GC, 15.1(2)GC1, 15.1(2)GC2, 15.1(4)GC, 15.1(4)GC1, 15.1(4)GC2, 15.1(1)SG, 15.1(2)SG, 15.1(1)SG1, 15.1(1)SG2, 15.1(2)SG1, 15.1(2)SG2, 15.1(2)SG3, 15.1(2)SG4, 15.1(2)SG5, 15.1(2)SG6, 15.1(2)SG7, 15.1(2)SG8, 15.2(4)M, 15.2(4)M1, 15.2(4)M2, 15.2(4)M4, 15.2(4)M3, 15.2(4)M5, 15.2(4)M8, 15.2(4)M10, 15.2(4)M7, 15.2(4)M6, 15.2(4)M9, 15.2(4)M6a, 15.2(4)M11, 15.0(2)EX, 15.0(2)EX1, 15.0(2)EX2, 15.0(2)EX3, 15.0(2)EX4, 15.0(2)EX5, 15.0(2)EX8, 15.0(2a)EX5, 15.0(2)EX10, 15.0(2)EX11, 15.0(2)EX13, 15.0(2)EX12, 15.2(1)GC, 15.2(1)GC1, 15.2(1)GC2, 15.2(2)GC, 15.2(3)GC, 15.2(3)GC1, 15.2(4)GC, 15.2(4)GC1, 15.2(4)GC2, 15.2(4)GC3, 15.1(1)SY, 15.1(1)SY1, 15.1(2)SY, 15.1(2)SY1, 15.1(2)SY2, 15.1(1)SY2, 15.1(1)SY3, 15.1(2)SY3, 15.1(1)SY4, 15.1(2)SY4, 15.1(1)SY5, 15.1(2)SY5, 15.1(2)SY4a, 15.1(1)SY6, 15.1(2)SY6, 15.1(2)SY7, 15.1(2)SY8, 15.1(2)SY9, 15.1(2)SY10, 15.1(2)SY11, 15.1(2)SY12, 15.1(2)SY13, 15.1(2)SY14, 15.1(2)SY15, 15.1(2)SY16, 15.4(1)T, 15.4(2)T, 15.4(1)T2, 15.4(1)T1, 15.4(1)T3, 15.4(2)T1, 15.4(2)T3, 15.4(2)T2, 15.4(1)T4, 15.4(2)T4, 15.2(1)E, 15.2(2)E, 15.2(1)E1, 15.2(3)E, 15.2(1)E2, 15.2(1)E3, 15.2(2)E1, 15.2(4)E, 15.2(3)E1, 15.2(2)E2, 15.2(2a)E1, 15.2(2)E3, 15.2(2a)E2, 15.2(3)E2, 15.2(3a)E, 15.2(3)E3, 15.2(4)E1, 15.2(2)E4, 15.2(2)E5, 15.2(4)E2, 15.2(3)E4, 15.2(5)E, 15.2(4)E3, 15.2(2)E6, 15.2(5)E1, 15.2(5b)E, 15.2(2)E5a, 15.2(2)E5b, 15.2(5a)E1, 15.2(4)E4, 15.2(2)E7, 15.2(5)E2, 15.2(6)E, 15.2(4)E5, 15.2(5)E2c, 15.2(2)E8, 15.2(6)E0a, 15.2(6)E1, 15.2(6)E0c, 15.2(4)E6, 15.2(6)E2, 15.2(2)E9, 15.2(4)E7, 15.2(7)E, 15.2(2)E10, 15.2(4)E8, 15.2(6)E2a, 15.2(7)E1, 15.2(7)E0a, 15.2(7)E0b, 15.2(7)E0s, 15.2(6)E3, 15.2(4)E9, 15.2(7)E2, 15.2(7a)E0b, 15.2(4)E10, 15.2(7)E3, 15.2(7)E1a, 15.2(7b)E0b, 15.2(4)E10a, 15.2(7)E4, 15.2(8)E, 15.2(8)E1, 15.2(7)E5, 15.2(7)E6, 15.2(8)E2, 15.2(4)E10d, 15.2(7)E7, 15.2(8)E3, 15.2(7)E8, 15.2(8)E4, 15.2(7)E9, 15.2(8)E5, 15.2(8)E6, 15.2(7)E10, 15.2(7)E11, 15.2(8)E7, 15.2(7)E12, 15.1(3)MRA3, 15.1(3)MRA4, 15.1(3)SVB1, 15.1(3)SVB2, 15.4(2)S3, 15.3(3)M, 15.3(3)M1, 15.3(3)M2, 15.3(3)M3, 15.3(3)M5, 15.3(3)M4, 15.3(3)M6, 15.3(3)M7, 15.3(3)M8, 15.3(3)M9, 15.3(3)M10, 15.3(3)M8a, 15.2(4)JN, 15.0(2)EZ, 15.1(3)SVD, 15.1(3)SVD1, 15.1(3)SVD2, 15.2(1)EY, 15.0(2)EJ, 15.0(2)EJ1, 15.2(1)SY, 15.2(1)SY1, 15.2(1)SY0a, 15.2(1)SY2, 15.2(2)SY, 15.2(1)SY1a, 15.2(2)SY1, 15.2(2)SY2, 15.2(1)SY3, 15.2(1)SY4, 15.2(2)SY3, 15.2(1)SY5, 15.2(1)SY6, 15.2(1)SY7, 15.2(1)SY8, 15.1(3)SVF, 15.1(3)SVF1, 15.1(3)SVE, 15.0(2)EK, 15.0(2)EK1, 15.4(1)CG, 15.4(1)CG1, 15.4(2)CG, 15.1(3)SVG, 15.2(2)EB, 15.2(2)EB1, 15.2(2)EB2, 15.2(6)EB, 15.5(1)T, 15.5(1)T1, 15.5(2)T, 15.5(1)T2, 15.5(1)T3, 15.5(2)T1, 15.5(2)T2, 15.5(2)T3, 15.5(2)T4, 15.5(1)T4, 15.2(2)EA, 15.2(2)EA2, 15.2(3)EA, 15.2(4)EA, 15.2(4)EA1, 15.2(2)EA3, 15.2(5)EA, 15.2(4)EA4, 15.2(4)EA5, 15.2(4)EA6, 15.2(4)EA7, 15.2(4)EA8, 15.2(4)EA9, 15.2(4)EA9a, 15.5(3)M, 15.5(3)M1, 15.5(3)M0a, 15.5(3)M2, 15.5(3)M3, 15.5(3)M4, 15.5(3)M4a, 15.5(3)M5, 15.5(3)M6, 15.5(3)M7, 15.5(3)M6a, 15.5(3)M8, 15.5(3)M9, 15.5(3)M10, 15.6(1)T, 15.6(2)T, 15.6(1)T0a, 15.6(1)T1, 15.6(2)T1, 15.6(1)T2, 15.6(2)T2, 15.6(1)T3, 15.6(2)T3, 15.3(1)SY, 15.3(1)SY1, 15.3(1)SY2, 15.6(3)M, 15.6(3)M1, 15.6(3)M0a, 15.6(3)M1b, 15.6(3)M2, 15.6(3)M2a, 15.6(3)M3, 15.6(3)M3a, 15.6(3)M4, 15.6(3)M5, 15.6(…
  • 3 additional product groups retained in the authoritative source
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 14 Aug 2025 · Last source change 14 Aug 2025, 19:20 UTC · CWE-401 · Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2025-24875
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD not scheduled

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2025-24875↗CVE authority or vendor reference · Cisco CISCO-SA-ASA-FTD-IOS-DOS-DOESHWHY↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2025-20225 · cve.blacktree.nl