VulnerabilityPublished 1 Apr 2026

CVE-2026-20093: Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software · Improper Input Validation

Affects Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure SoftwareSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 19:04 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.8Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 62% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 1 Apr 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
CiscoCisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software	Affected 3.3.1 – 4.18.2a 69 affected builds	Fixed in–
CiscoCisco Unified Computing System (Standalone)	Affected 3.1(1d) – 6.0(1.250131) 141 affected builds	Fixed in–
CiscoCisco Unified Computing System E-Series Software (UCSE)	Affected 2.0.0 – 4.15.2 42 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-20093, organizations should immediately apply any available patches or updates from Cisco once released. In the absence of patches, network segmentation should be enforced to restrict access to the Integrated Management Controller interfaces, limiting exposure to trusted administrative networks only. Employ strict firewall rules to block unauthorized HTTP requests targeting the IMC. Implement robust monitoring and logging of management interface access to detect suspicious activity. Use multi-factor authentication and strong password policies for all administrative accounts to reduce risk if password changes are attempted. Regularly audit and review user accounts and permissions on the NFV infrastructure. Consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures tuned to detect anomalous password change requests. Engage with Cisco support for guidance and stay informed on any emerging exploit reports or mitigation advisories. Finally, conduct incident response preparedness exercises focused on NFV infrastructure compromise scenarios.

Description

A vulnerability in the change password functionality of Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and gain access to the system as Admin. This vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of password change requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass authentication, alter the passwords of any user on the system, including an Admin user, and gain access to the system as that user.

Impact

The impact of CVE-2026-20093 is substantial for organizations relying on Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software. Successful exploitation results in complete compromise of the affected system, allowing attackers to assume administrative control without authentication. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive network functions, manipulation or disruption of virtualized network services, data breaches, and potential lateral movement within enterprise networks. The availability of critical network infrastructure could be severely affected, causing service outages or degraded performance. Given the widespread use of Cisco NFV solutions in telecommunications, cloud service providers, and large enterprises, the vulnerability poses a global risk to critical infrastructure and business continuity. The lack of required user interaction and the remote nature of the exploit increase the likelihood of automated attacks once exploit code becomes available. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the critical severity demands immediate attention.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-cimc-auth-bypass-AgG2BxTn (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 1 Apr 2026, 18:56 UTC

Technical details

References

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