CVE-2025-20165 and CVE-2025-20156: Critical Cisco Vulnerabilities Explained

 Critical Cisco Vulnerabilities Explained

CVE-2025-20165 and CVE-2025-20156

Cisco has recently addressed two significant vulnerabilities in its software products, specifically affecting Cisco BroadWorks and Cisco Meeting Management. These vulnerabilities pose serious risks, including denial of service (DoS) and privilege escalation.

CVE-2025-20165: Denial of Service Vulnerability in Cisco BroadWorks

Description:
CVE-2025-20165 is a vulnerability found in the SIP processing subsystem of Cisco BroadWorks. It allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to halt the processing of incoming SIP requests. This vulnerability arises from improper memory handling for certain SIP requests, which can lead to a DoS condition on the affected system.Impact:
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a high volume of SIP requests to the Cisco BroadWorks Network Servers. If successful, the attacker could exhaust the memory allocated for handling SIP traffic. Once the memory is depleted, the Network Servers would be unable to process any further requests, resulting in a DoS condition that requires manual intervention to restore functionality.Severity:
The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating a high severity level.Mitigation:
Cisco has released patches to address this vulnerability, and it is crucial for system administrators to apply these updates promptly to mitigate potential risks associated with this flaw.

CVE-2025-20156: Critical Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Management

Description:
CVE-2025-20156 is a critical vulnerability in the REST API of Cisco Meeting Management. It allows a remote, authenticated attacker with low privileges to elevate their privileges to administrator status on affected devices. This issue exists because proper authorization checks are not enforced for REST API users.Impact:
An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted API requests to specific endpoints. A successful exploit would grant the attacker administrator-level control over edge nodes managed by Cisco Meeting Management, significantly compromising the security of those systems.Severity:
This vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 9.9, categorizing it as critical.Mitigation:
Cisco has also released patches for this privilege escalation flaw. Users are advised to update their systems immediately to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.

Sample Scenarios

Scenario for CVE-2025-20165

Imagine a scenario where an organization relies heavily on Cisco BroadWorks for its communication needs. An attacker discovers this vulnerability and begins sending numerous SIP requests to the system. As requests pile up, the Network Servers run out of memory and crash, leading to significant downtime for the organization’s communication services. This situation not only disrupts operations but may also lead to financial losses and damage to reputation.

Scenario for CVE-2025-20156

Consider an enterprise using Cisco Meeting Management for virtual meetings and collaboration. An employee with low-level access notices the privilege escalation flaw and exploits it by sending specific API requests. They gain administrative rights and begin accessing sensitive data or altering configurations without authorization. This breach could lead to unauthorized data exposure or manipulation, severely impacting organizational security.

Conclusion

Both CVE-2025-20165 and CVE-2025-20156 present serious threats to organizations using Cisco products. Immediate action is recommended for all affected users to apply security patches provided by Cisco, thereby safeguarding their systems against potential exploitation.