A significant security flaw has been identified in Cisco’s Unified Intelligence Center (CUIC), a pivotal component in Cisco’s contact center solutions. This vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-20274 with a CVSS Base Score of 6.3, enables authenticated remote attackers with Report Designer privileges to upload arbitrary files to affected systems, potentially leading to unauthorized command execution with root-level access.
Understanding the Vulnerability
The core issue lies within the file-upload handler of CUIC’s web-based management interface. This component fails to adequately validate the contents and metadata of files uploaded by users possessing at least the Report Designer role. Consequently, attackers can craft specially named archives or executables that bypass extension checks and are directly written into the operating system’s file structure. When these malicious files are processed by scheduled reporting tasks or administrative routines, they can be executed, granting the attacker arbitrary command execution capabilities.
This vulnerability is categorized under CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type), highlighting the risks associated with insecure file handling in web applications. Exploitation of this flaw allows attackers to escalate their privileges to root, compromising the integrity of call-center analytics and potentially exposing sensitive customer interaction data.
Affected Products and Impact
The vulnerability affects the following Cisco products:
– Cisco Unified Intelligence Center (CUIC)
– Packaged Contact Center Enterprise (Packaged CCE)
– Unified Contact Center Enterprise (Unified CCE)
– Unified Contact Center Express (Unified CCX)
Organizations utilizing CUIC as part of these solutions are at immediate risk. An attacker with access to a Report Designer account—a role often assigned to power users or analytics teams—can exploit this vulnerability to introduce backdoors, exfiltrate data, or move laterally within the network. Given the absence of viable workarounds, detection relies on monitoring unexpected file system changes and anomalous process executions on CUIC appliances.
Mitigation Measures
Cisco has released software updates to address this vulnerability in CUIC versions 12.5(1)SU ES05, 12.6(2) ES05, and later. These updates enforce strict file-type validation and sandbox execution of uploaded files. Administrators are strongly advised to upgrade immediately to the nearest fixed release and verify that the appliance’s software version matches one of the first fixed releases.
For customers without active service contracts, Cisco recommends contacting the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) with the product serial number and a reference to the advisory to obtain firmware updates at no additional cost. Post-patching, operators should audit existing report templates and uploaded libraries to remove any unauthorized content.
Broader Context of CUIC Vulnerabilities
This recent vulnerability is part of a series of security issues identified in Cisco’s Unified Intelligence Center:
– Privilege Escalation Vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-20113 and CVE-2025-20114): Disclosed on May 21, 2025, these flaws allow authenticated remote attackers to perform privilege escalation attacks. CVE-2025-20113 enables elevation to Administrator privileges for certain functions, while CVE-2025-20114 allows horizontal privilege escalation through insecure direct object reference attacks. Cisco has released software updates to address these vulnerabilities.
– Insufficient Access Control Vulnerability (CVE-2024-20325): Published on February 21, 2024, this vulnerability in the Live Data server of CUIC could allow unauthenticated local attackers to read and modify data in a repository belonging to an internal service. Cisco has provided software updates to mitigate this issue.
– Server-Side Request Forgery Vulnerability (CVE-2025-20288): Announced on July 16, 2025, this flaw in the web-based management interface of CUIC could allow unauthenticated remote attackers to conduct a server-side request forgery (SSRF) attack. Cisco has released software updates to address this vulnerability.
Recommendations for Organizations
Given the critical nature of these vulnerabilities, organizations using Cisco’s Unified Intelligence Center should:
1. Immediate Patching: Apply the latest software updates provided by Cisco to mitigate these vulnerabilities.
2. Access Control Review: Evaluate and restrict user roles and privileges, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive functions.
3. Continuous Monitoring: Implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized file uploads, unexpected file system changes, and anomalous process executions.
4. Incident Response Planning: Develop and regularly update incident response plans to address potential exploitation of these vulnerabilities.
By proactively addressing these vulnerabilities, organizations can enhance their security posture and protect sensitive customer data from potential breaches.
