VulnerabilityPublished 25 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-20114: Cisco IOS XE Software · Improper Validation of Syntactic Correctness of Input

Affects Cisco IOS XE SoftwareSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.4 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.4Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 28% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
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: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
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: 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 16.11.1 – 17.18.1w 176 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Apply Cisco's security updates or patches for IOS XE versions addressing this vulnerability as soon as they become available.
Restrict and monitor access to the Lobby Ambassador web-based management API to trusted personnel only, enforcing strong authentication mechanisms and credential management.
Implement network segmentation and access control lists (ACLs) to limit exposure of management interfaces to untrusted networks.
Regularly audit user accounts and privileges on Cisco IOS XE devices to detect unauthorized privilege escalations or suspicious account creations.
Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative and management access where supported.
Monitor network traffic and logs for anomalous HTTP requests targeting the Lobby Ambassador API endpoints that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Disable or restrict the Lobby Ambassador feature if it is not required in the environment to reduce the attack surface.
Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on management interfaces to identify potential weaknesses. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on proactive access control, monitoring, and reducing the attack surface specific to the vulnerable API component.

Description

A vulnerability in the Lobby Ambassador web-based management API of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate their privileges and access management APIs that would not normally be available for Lobby Ambassador users. This vulnerability exists because parameters that are received by an API endpoint are not sufficiently validated. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating as a Lobby Ambassador user and sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to create a new user with privilege level 1 access to the web-based management API. The attacker would then be able to access the device with these new credentials and privileges.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-20114 is unauthorized privilege escalation on Cisco IOS XE devices, allowing attackers to create new user accounts with elevated privileges. This can lead to unauthorized access to device management APIs, potentially enabling further configuration changes, information disclosure, or lateral movement within a network. Organizations relying on Cisco IOS XE devices for critical network infrastructure could face increased risk of compromise if attackers exploit this vulnerability. While the vulnerability requires prior authentication, compromised or weak Lobby Ambassador user credentials could be leveraged to escalate privileges. This risk is particularly significant in environments where Cisco IOS XE devices manage sensitive or critical network functions. The vulnerability could undermine network security posture by enabling attackers to bypass intended access controls. Although no known exploits are currently reported, the broad range of affected versions and the nature of privilege escalation make this a notable threat for organizations using affected Cisco IOS XE versions. The impact on confidentiality and integrity is moderate, with no direct availability impact reported.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-lobby-privesc-KwxBqJy (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Mar 2026, 16:34 UTC

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