Cisco Issues Warning on Denial-of-Service Flaw and PoC Exploit Code, here is what you need to know.

Cisco

Cisco Issues Warning on Denial-of-Service Flaw and PoC Exploit Code, here is what you need to know.

Cisco recently issued a warning about a critical denial of service (DoS) vulnerability in its ClamAV antivirus software. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-20128, has proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code available, raising concerns about potential attacks.

cisco-warns-of-password-spraying-attacks-targeting-vpn-services-1024x576 Cisco Issues Warning on Denial-of-Service Flaw and PoC Exploit Code, here is what you need to know.

The Vulnerability

The flaw stems from a heap-based buffer overflow in the Object Linking and Embedding 2 (OLE2) decryption routine. This weakness allows unauthenticated, remote attackers to trigger a DoS condition on vulnerable devices. If exploited, the ClamAV antivirus scanning process could crash, preventing or delaying further scanning operations.

Exploitation and Impact

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted file containing OLE2 content to be scanned by ClamAV on an affected device. A successful exploit would terminate the ClamAV scanning process, resulting in a DoS condition on the affected software. However, Cisco’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) noted that overall system stability would not be affected even after successful attacks.

Affected Products

The vulnerability impacts Cisco’s Secure Endpoint Connector software for Linux, Mac, and Windows-based platforms. This software helps ingest Cisco Secure Endpoint audit logs and events into security information and event management (SIEM) systems like Microsoft Sentinel.

Response and Recommendations

Cisco has released security updates to patch this vulnerability. The company urges customers to apply these updates immediately to mitigate the risk of disruption. While Cisco PSIRT has no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation, the availability of PoC exploit code highlights the urgency of addressing this issue.

Additional Patches

In addition to the ClamAV fix, Cisco also patched two other critical vulnerabilities: CVE-2025-20165, a DoS flaw in Cisco BroadWorks, and CVE-2025-20156, a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Cisco Meeting Management REST API. These updates follow a series of recent patches, including fixes for a DoS bug in Cisco ASA and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software and a maximum-severity flaw in Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul (URWB) industrial access points.

Conclusion

The recent ClamAV vulnerability underscores the persistent challenges in securing software against sophisticated threats. Cisco’s swift response in releasing patches is commendable, but organizations must prioritize updating their systems to mitigate the risk of disruption. The availability of PoC exploit code serves as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant and proactive in cybersecurity efforts.


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