VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026Updated 27 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-20112: Cisco IOS XE Software · Cross-site Scripting

Affects Cisco IOS XE SoftwareSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.8 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.8Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 15% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

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

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: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Mar 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 30 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 IOS XE Software	Affected 16.6.1 – 17.18.1w 226 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Since exploitation requires valid administrative credentials, ensure strong credential management and restrict administrative access to trusted personnel. Monitor Cisco advisories for official fixes or workarounds. Avoid using the web interface from untrusted environments until a fix is applied.

Description

CVE-2026-20112 is a medium severity stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the web-based Cisco IOx application hosting environment management interface of Cisco IOS XE Software. It allows an authenticated remote attacker with administrative credentials to inject malicious script code into the management interface. Successful exploitation could enable execution of arbitrary script code in the context of the affected interface or access to sensitive browser-based information. The vulnerability arises from insufficient validation of user-supplied input. It affects numerous versions of Cisco IOS XE Software. No known exploits in the wild have been reported. Patch status is not confirmed from the provided data.

Impact

An authenticated attacker with administrative privileges can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary script code within the web-based management interface of affected Cisco IOS XE devices. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information accessible via the browser and potentially manipulation of the interface in the context of the victim user. The impact is limited to confidentiality and integrity with no direct availability impact. Exploitation requires valid administrative credentials and user interaction.

Summary

This vulnerability involves improper neutralization of input during web page generation in the Cisco IOx application hosting environment management interface within Cisco IOS XE Software. An attacker with valid administrative credentials can inject malicious scripts that are stored and executed when a user accesses the affected web interface. This stored XSS flaw stems from insufficient input validation, potentially allowing script execution in the context of the management interface and unauthorized access to browser-based sensitive information. The vulnerability affects a wide range of Cisco IOS XE versions as listed. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.8 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, high privileges required, user interaction required, and impact on confidentiality and integrity but not availability.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iox-xss-LpGkzwtJ (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 13:37 UTC

Technical details

References

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