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Overview of the Vulnerability

Cisco has recently disclosed a critical privilege escalation vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-20156, affecting its Meeting Management software. Here are the key details:

  • Vulnerability Description: The vulnerability exists in the REST API of Cisco Meeting Management due to insufficient authorization checks. This allows a remote, authenticated attacker with low privileges to elevate their access to administrator level on affected devices235.

  • Severity: The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 9.9, indicating it is highly critical. A successful exploit could grant the attacker administrator-level control over edge nodes managed by Cisco Meeting Management3.

Affected Software and Versions

  • Affected Versions: All versions of Cisco Meeting Management prior to the fixed release are impacted. Specifically:
    • Versions 3.8 and earlier: Users are advised to migrate to a fixed release.
    • Version 3.9: Patched in version 3.9.1.
    • Version 3.10: Not vulnerable3.

Exploitation and Impact

  • Exploitation Method: Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted API requests to targeted endpoints within the REST API of Cisco Meeting Management23.
  • Impact: Successful exploitation could disrupt business operations by giving attackers significant control over the systems, including administrator-level access to edge nodes3.

Mitigation and Patch

  • Mitigation: There are no available workarounds to mitigate this vulnerability. The only solution is to apply the necessary software updates provided by Cisco3.
  • Patch Availability: Cisco has released free software updates to address the CVE-2025-20156 vulnerability. Customers with valid service contracts can access these updates via their regular update channels. Users without service contracts should contact Cisco’s Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to obtain the necessary upgrades3.

Additional Recommendations

  • Update Process: Users are advised to verify hardware compatibility and ensure sufficient memory for the new software release before applying the updates3.

While the CVE-2025-20156 vulnerability is the most critical recent issue, it is part of a broader context of security updates and advisories from Cisco:

  • Other Vulnerabilities: Cisco has also addressed other vulnerabilities, such as a denial-of-service (DoS) flaw in ClamAV, although this is not directly related to the Meeting Management software1.

Conclusion

The CVE-2025-20156 vulnerability in Cisco Meeting Management is a critical issue that requires immediate attention from users to prevent privilege escalation attacks. Ensuring the latest patches are applied is crucial to maintaining the security and integrity of the affected systems.

Sources:

  • [CVE-2025-20156 - Cisco Meeting Management Client-Server Vulnerability]2
  • [Cisco Meeting Management Flaw Allows for Privilege Escalation]3
  • [PoC Exploit Released for 7-Zip Mark-of-the-Web Bypass Vulnerability (includes mention of Cisco Meeting Management vulnerability)]5