CVE-2025-20185

Description

A vulnerability in the implementation of the remote access functionality of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, Cisco Secure Email Gateway, and Cisco Secure Web Appliance could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to root. The attacker must authenticate with valid administrator credentials. This vulnerability is due to an architectural flaw in the password generation algorithm for the remote access functionality. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by generating a temporary password for the service account. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root and access the underlying operating system. Note: The Security Impact Rating (SIR) for this vulnerability is Medium due to the unrestricted scope of information that is accessible to an attacker.

CVSS v3.1 Score

3.4

LOW

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-250 CWE-250

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	asyncos	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_virtual_appliance_m100v	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_virtual_appliance_m300v	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_virtual_appliance_m600v	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m170	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m190	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m195	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m380	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m390	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m390x	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m395	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m680	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m690	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m690x	All
cisco	secure_email_and_web_manager_m695	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-esa-sma-wsa-multi-yKUJhS34

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-20185? +

A vulnerability in the implementation of the remote access functionality of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager, Cisco Secure Email Gateway, and Cisco Secure Web Appliance could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to root. The attacker must authenticate with valid administrator credentials. This vulnerability is due to an architectural flaw in the password generation algorithm for the remote access functionality. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by generating a temporary password for the service account. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root and access the underlying operating system. Note: The Security Impact Rating (SIR) for this vulnerability is Medium due to the unrestricted scope of information that is accessible to an attacker. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.4 (LOW).

How severe is CVE-2025-20185? +

CVE-2025-20185 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 3.4 out of 10, rated LOW. This is a low-severity vulnerability with limited impact.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-20185? +

CVE-2025-20185 affects products from cisco, specifically: asyncos, secure_email_and_web_manager_m170, secure_email_and_web_manager_m190, secure_email_and_web_manager_m195, secure_email_and_web_manager_m380, secure_email_and_web_manager_m390, secure_email_and_web_manager_m390x, secure_email_and_web_manager_m395, secure_email_and_web_manager_m680, secure_email_and_web_manager_m690, secure_email_and_web_manager_m690x, secure_email_and_web_manager_m695, secure_email_and_web_manager_virtual_appliance_m100v, secure_email_and_web_manager_virtual_appliance_m300v, secure_email_and_web_manager_virtual_appliance_m600v. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-20185? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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