CVE-2025-20140: High severity cisco ios xe vulnerability

Published May 7, 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.

Affected Software

211 affected components
Cisco IOS XE Software
All of the following
Any of the following
Cisco IOS XE=16.4.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.4.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.4.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.5.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.5.1a
Cisco IOS XE=16.5.1b
Cisco IOS XE=16.5.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.5.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.4
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.4a
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.5
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.5a
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.6
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.7
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.8
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.9
Cisco IOS XE=16.6.10
Cisco IOS XE=16.7.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.7.1a
Cisco IOS XE=16.7.1b
Cisco IOS XE=16.7.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.7.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.7.4
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1a
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1b
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1c
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1d
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1e
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1s
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.8.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1a
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1b
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1s
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.3a
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.4
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.5
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.5f
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.6
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.7
Cisco IOS XE=16.9.8
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1a
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1b
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1c
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1d
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1e
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1f
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1g
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1s
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.10.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1a
Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1b
Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1s
Cisco IOS XE=16.11.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1a
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1c
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1s
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1t
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1w
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1x
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1y
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1z1
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1z2
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.2
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.2a
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.2s
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.3
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.3a
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.3s
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.4
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.4a
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.5
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.5a
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.5b
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.6
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.6a
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.7
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.8
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.9
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.10
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.10a
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.11
Cisco IOS XE=16.12.12
Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1s
Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1t
Cisco IOS XE=17.1.3
Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1r
Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1v
Cisco IOS XE=17.2.2
Cisco IOS XE=17.2.3
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.1w
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.1x
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.1z
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.2
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.2a
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.3
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.4
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.4a
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.4b
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.4c
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.5
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.5a
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.5b
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.6
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.7
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.8
Cisco IOS XE=17.3.8a
Cisco IOS XE=17.4.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.4.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.4.1b
Cisco IOS XE=17.4.2
Cisco IOS XE=17.4.2a
Cisco IOS XE=17.5.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.5.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.1w
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.1x
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.1y
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.1z
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.1z1
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.2
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.3
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.3a
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.4
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.5
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.5a
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.6
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.6a
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.7
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.8
Cisco IOS XE=17.6.8a
Cisco IOS XE=17.7.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.7.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.7.1b
Cisco IOS XE=17.7.2
Cisco IOS XE=17.8.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.8.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.1w
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.1x
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.1x1
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.1y
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.1y1
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.2
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.2a
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.3
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.3a
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.4
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.4a
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.5
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.5a
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.5b
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.5e
Cisco IOS XE=17.9.5f
Cisco IOS XE=17.10.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.10.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.10.1b
Cisco IOS XE=17.11.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.11.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.11.99sw
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.1w
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.1x
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.1y
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.1z
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.1z1
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.2
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.2a
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.3
Cisco IOS XE=17.12.3a
Cisco IOS XE=17.13.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.13.1a
Cisco IOS XE=17.14.1
Cisco IOS XE=17.14.1a
Any of the following
Cisco Catalyst 9800-cl Wireless Controllers For Cloud
Cisco Catalyst 9105axi
Cisco Catalyst 9115axe
Cisco Catalyst 9115axi
Cisco Catalyst 9117axi
Cisco Catalyst 9120axe
Cisco Catalyst 9120axi
Cisco Catalyst 9120axp
Cisco Catalyst 9130axe
Cisco Catalyst 9130axi
Cisco Catalyst 9800-40
Cisco Catalyst 9800-80
Cisco Catalyst 9800-l
Cisco Catalyst Cw9800h1
Cisco Catalyst Cw9800h2
Cisco Catalyst Cw9800m

Event History

May 7, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:36 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:36 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·06:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-20140?

CVE-2025-20140 is classified as a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause denial of service.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-20140?

To mitigate CVE-2025-20140, upgrade to the latest version of Cisco IOS XE Software that addresses this vulnerability.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2025-20140?

CVE-2025-20140 affects Cisco IOS XE Software used in Wireless LAN Controllers.

4

What type of attack is possible with CVE-2025-20140?

CVE-2025-20140 allows unauthenticated adjacent wireless attackers to execute a denial of service attack.

5

What causes CVE-2025-20140?

CVE-2025-20140 is caused by improper memory management within the Wireless Network Control daemon.

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