ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Cisco’s Safe Firewall Administration Middle safety gap is as unhealthy as they get.
- There isn’t any mitigation and no workaround. Patch instantly.
- Up to now, no confirmed lively exploits have been confirmed.
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Do you utilize Cisco’s Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) software program? If your organization operates a critical community utilizing Cisco merchandise — and with Cisco’s 76%+ market share of high-end networking, chances are high that you just do — it’s essential to patch it. Not over the weekend. Not Monday. Proper now.
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Cisco has simply patched a critical command injection vulnerability (CVE-2025-20265) in FMC. How essential is essential? Let’s put it this fashion: It has a Widespread Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) rating of 10.0, which is the best potential danger ranking in vulnerability scoring. Particularly, the flaw impacts FMC variations 7.0.7 and seven.7.0 which were configured for RADIUS authentication on the web-based or SSH administration interface.
RADIUS is the de facto normal for community authentication. It is the commonest implementation used to allow 802.1X entry management administration. In different phrases, in the event you use FMC, it is virtually a certainty you are utilizing RADIUS, which implies you are weak.
The issue is that as a result of the software program did not sanitize person enter within the RADIUS authentication part, attackers can send crafted credentials that will be executed as high-privileged shell commands. If abused accurately, this will grant anybody full management over the firewall administration middle.
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Including insult to damage, attackers can exploit the flaw with none prior system entry or legitimate credentials. I repeat: with none prior system entry or legitimate credentials.
This can be a safety nightmare. As soon as a hacker has full management over firewall administration, they will do just about something they need to each the firewall and the remainder of your community.
The one bit of excellent information is that Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software will not be affected.
Oh, and by the way in which, Cisco states, “There are not any workarounds that deal with this vulnerability.” You could patch this system. Now.
Cisco studies that there have been no confirmed lively exploits within the wild thus far. Give it time. The knowledge within the safety report is greater than sufficient for a intelligent hacker to determine exploit this safety gap.
So, as soon as extra and with feeling, patch it. Patch it now.
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Cisco clients with service contracts that entitle them to common software program updates ought to get hold of safety fixes by way of their normal replace channels. Nonetheless, given how deep this gap goes, Cisco can be providing the patch free of charge. In both case, take the next steps:
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Go to the official Cisco Security Advisory for CVE-2025-20265.
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Log in together with your Cisco account linked to your group’s help contract.
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Use the Cisco Software program Checker software or examine the Obtain part of the advisory to determine the precise fastened launch on your equipment/model.
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Obtain and set up the FMC software program replace on your deployment — patched variations for 7.0.7 and seven.7.0 are offered.
what to do now. Get on with it.
