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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-20129: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager · Improper Authentication

Affects Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN ManagerSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
9.8Critical
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 56% 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

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 25 Feb 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
CiscoCisco Catalyst SD-WAN ManagerAffected
  • 17.2.4 – 20.18.2_LI_Images
331 affected builds
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-20129, organizations should immediately upgrade Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager to version 20.18 or later, where the vulnerability is resolved. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict API access to trusted networks and IP addresses using network segmentation and firewall rules to limit exposure. Implement strict monitoring and logging of API requests to detect unusual or unauthorized access attempts. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access where supported to add an additional security layer. Regularly audit user roles and permissions to ensure least privilege principles are enforced, minimizing the impact if credentials are compromised. Conduct vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on SD-WAN management interfaces to identify potential exploitation attempts. Maintain up-to-date backups of SD-WAN configurations to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise. Collaborate with Cisco support and subscribe to security advisories for timely updates and patches. Finally, educate network and security teams about this vulnerability and the importance of securing management APIs.

Description

A vulnerability in the API user authentication of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to gain access to an affected system as a user who has the netadmin role. The vulnerability is due to improper authentication for requests that are sent to the API. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the API of an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands with the privileges of the netadmin role. Note: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager releases 20.18 and later are not affected by this vulnerability. 

References

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