Medium

Cisco IOS XE Secure Boot Bypass via Path Traversal and Improper Image Integrity Validation

IdentifiersCVE-2025-20313CWE-22

CVE-2025-20313 is a secure boot bypass vulnerability affecting Cisco IOS XE Software. According to the provided content, the issue is caused by path traversal and improper image integrity validation during the boot process. An authenticated local attacker with level-15 privileges, or an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device, could exploit the flaw to execute persistent code at boot time and break the device chain of trust. Successful exploitation results in execution of attacker-controlled persistent code on the underlying operating system, undermining the secure boot protections intended to ensure only trusted software images are loaded.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to bypass secure boot protections and break the chain of trust on the affected device. This enables persistent code execution at boot time on the underlying operating system. Because the malicious code can persist across reboots and executes early in the boot sequence, the attacker can undermine a major platform security control and potentially maintain durable control of the device.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by strictly limiting privileged local access, especially level-15 administrative access, and maintaining strong physical security controls over affected devices to prevent unauthorized console or hardware access. Monitor for unauthorized image changes or boot anomalies and verify device software integrity using Cisco-supported validation mechanisms. Specific mitigations beyond vendor patching are not provided in the available content.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Cisco recommends updating affected Cisco IOS XE Software to a fixed release as specified in the vendor advisory and associated platform-specific guidance. Because the vulnerability affects secure boot and image validation behavior, remediation should include installing Cisco-provided software updates that correct the path traversal and image integrity validation flaws, and ensuring only trusted, vendor-approved images are present on the device.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

Cisco SystemsIos Xeoperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

5 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

5 SOURCESView more in app

kyberturvallisuuskeskus alertsNews

Sep 26, 2025

Haavoittuvuuksia Cisco IOS ja IOS XE -laitteissa | Traficom

A secure boot bypass vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE devices.

kyberturvallisuuskeskus alertsNews

Sep 26, 2025

Haavoittuvuuksia Cisco IOS ja IOS XE -laitteissa | Traficom

A secure boot bypass vulnerability affecting Cisco IOS XE devices.

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity3