Dell Enterprise SONiC OS (SSH cryptographic key): A cryptographic key weakness in SONiC's SSH implementation lets

Impact

A cryptographic key weakness in SONiC's SSH implementation lets an unauthenticated remote attacker exploit the switch. Shared or predictable SSH host keys across a product line mean an attacker can impersonate any switch to your automation, harvesting the credentials your config-management pushes. CVE-2025-38741 is the same class recurring in SONiC 4.5.0, which tells you it is a build-pipeline problem, not a one-off.

Who can reach it

Unauthenticated, remote — anyone able to interpose on or reach the switch's SSH service.

What to do

NOS image upgrade plus reboot, and then **regenerate the switch's SSH host keys** — the upgrade alone does not replace a key that was already weak or shared. Update your automation's known_hosts afterwards. Verify host-key uniqueness across the fleet as a standing check.

References