ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Cisco’s Safe Firewall Administration Middle safety gap is as unhealthy as they get.
- There is no such thing as a mitigation and no workaround. Patch instantly.
- To date, no confirmed lively exploits have been confirmed.
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Do you employ Cisco’s Safe Firewall Administration Middle (FMC) software program? If your organization operates a severe community utilizing Cisco merchandise — and with Cisco’s 76%+ market share of high-end networking, likelihood is that you just do — you could patch it. Not over the weekend. Not Monday. Proper now.
Cisco has simply patched a essential command injection vulnerability (CVE-2025-20265) in FMC. How essential is essential? Let’s put it this fashion: It has a Frequent Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) rating of 10.0, which is the very best doable danger ranking in vulnerability scoring. Particularly, the flaw impacts FMC variations 7.0.7 and seven.7.0 which have been configured for RADIUS authentication on the web-based or SSH administration interface.
RADIUS is the de facto normal for community authentication. It is the most typical implementation used to allow 802.1X entry management administration. In different phrases, when you use FMC, it is virtually a certainty you are utilizing RADIUS, which suggests you are susceptible.
The issue is that as a result of the software program did not sanitize person enter within the RADIUS authentication section, attackers can ship crafted credentials that will probably be executed as high-privileged shell instructions. If abused accurately, this will grant anybody full management over the firewall administration middle.
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.
It is a safety nightmare. As soon as a hacker has full management over firewall administration, they’ll do just about something they need to each the firewall and the remainder of your community.
The one bit of fine information is that Cisco Safe Firewall Adaptive Safety Equipment (ASA) Software program and Cisco Safe Firewall Risk Protection (FTD) Software program will not be affected.
Oh, and by the way in which, Cisco states, “There are not any workarounds that tackle this vulnerability.” It’s essential to patch this system. Now.
Cisco studies that there have been no confirmed lively exploits within the wild thus far. Give it time. The data within the safety report is greater than sufficient for a intelligent hacker to determine tips on how to exploit this safety gap.
So, as soon as extra and with feeling, patch it. Patch it now.
Cisco prospects with service contracts that entitle them to common software program updates ought to get hold of safety fixes by way of their typical replace channels. Nevertheless, given how deep this gap goes, Cisco can also be providing the patch without cost. In both case, take the next steps:
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Go to the official Cisco Safety Advisory for CVE-2025-20265.
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Log in along with your Cisco account linked to your group’s help contract.
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Use the Cisco Software program Checker instrument 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.





