First published: Wed May 07 2025(Updated: )
A vulnerability in the Wireless Network Control daemon (wncd) of Cisco IOS XE Software for Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent wireless attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to improper memory management. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of IPv6 network requests from an associated wireless IPv6 client to an affected device. To associate a client to a device, an attacker may first need to authenticate to the network, or associate freely in the case of a configured open network. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the wncd process to consume available memory and eventually cause the device to stop responding, resulting in a DoS condition.
Credit: psirt@cisco.com
Affected Software | Affected Version | How to fix |
---|---|---|
Cisco IOS XE |
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CVE-2025-20140 is classified as a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause denial of service.
To mitigate CVE-2025-20140, upgrade to the latest version of Cisco IOS XE Software that addresses this vulnerability.
CVE-2025-20140 affects Cisco IOS XE Software used in Wireless LAN Controllers.
CVE-2025-20140 allows unauthenticated adjacent wireless attackers to execute a denial of service attack.
CVE-2025-20140 is caused by improper memory management within the Wireless Network Control daemon.