CVE-2026-20092 is a vulnerability identified in Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliance version 1.1.4-0, specifically within its read-only maintenance shell. The root cause is incorrect permission assignments on configuration files related to system accounts. Although the shell is intended to be read-only for maintenance administrators, the improper file permissions allow an authenticated local attacker with administrative privileges to manipulate these files and escalate their privileges to root. This escalation grants the attacker full control over the virtual appliance, enabling them to access sensitive data, alter workloads and configurations on the host system, and potentially cause denial of service conditions. The vulnerability requires local authenticated access with high privileges but does not require user interaction, making exploitation feasible in environments where administrative access is compromised or shared. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.0 (medium severity), reflecting the local attack vector, low complexity, and high impact on confidentiality and integrity but no impact on availability. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the critical nature of the appliance in managing infrastructure workloads.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized root access on Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliances, which are used for infrastructure management and workload orchestration. Successful exploitation could compromise sensitive configuration data and operational controls, potentially disrupting business-critical services. The attacker could modify workloads, leading to data breaches or service outages, and cause denial of service conditions affecting availability indirectly. Given the appliance’s role in managing virtualized environments, the impact extends beyond the appliance itself to the broader IT infrastructure it controls. This risk is particularly acute for sectors with stringent data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and government institutions across Europe. The need for local administrative access limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with multiple administrators or insufficient access controls.

Organizations should immediately review and restrict access to the maintenance shell of Cisco Intersight Virtual Appliances, ensuring only trusted administrators have local access. Implement strict role-based access controls and monitor administrative activities for unusual behavior. Since no patch links are currently provided, maintain close communication with Cisco for timely updates and apply patches as soon as they become available. Conduct audits of file permissions within the appliance environment to detect and correct improper configurations proactively. Employ network segmentation to isolate management appliances from general user networks, reducing the risk of unauthorized local access. Additionally, implement multi-factor authentication for administrative access where possible and maintain comprehensive logging to facilitate incident detection and response.