CVE-2026-20182: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller · Improper Authentication
Affects Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN ControllerSource CVE Database V5
Exploited in the wild · KEV due 17 May 2026 · 91% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller now.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC
- KEV deadline
- US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
- EPSS
- 91.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 99% 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:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 May 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
Exploited in the wildExploited: evidence found.
Listed in CISA KEV the same day as disclosure
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
Timeline
CVE ID reserved
by Cisco Systems, Inc.
, 218 days before disclosure
CVE published
on cve.org
, t = 0
In Threat Radar
record ingested
, 43 minutes after disclosure
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
, the same day as disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
, 3 days after disclosure
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), GitHub proofs of concept, CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.
What to do
Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlined in CISA’s Emergency Directive 26-03 (URL listed below in Notes) and CISA’s Hunt & Hardening Guidance for Cisco SD-WAN Devices (URL listed below in Notes). Adhere to the applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are not available.
- cisa.gov/news-events/directives/ed-26-03-mitigate-vulnerabilities-cisco-sd-wan-systems (opens in a new tab)
- cisa.gov/news-events/directives/supplemental-direction-ed-26-03-hunt-and-hardening-guidance-cisco-sd-wan-systems (opens in a new tab)
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SW (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20182 (opens in a new tab)
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| CiscoCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller | Affected
| Fixed in– |
| CiscoCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check the firmware or software version for Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller in the device's admin interface against the vendor advisory.
Description
May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and fixed after the was disclosed in February 2026. This new advisory is for a new vulnerability in the control connection handshaking. The section of this advisory includes Show Control Connections guidance to help with system checks. A vulnerability in the peering authentication in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, formerly SD-WAN vSmart, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, formerly SD-WAN vManage, and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator, formerly SD-WAN vBond, could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and obtain administrative privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability exists because the peering authentication mechanism in an affected system is not working properly. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted requests to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to an affected Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller as an internal, high-privileged, non-root user account. Using this account, the attacker could access NETCONF, which would then allow the attacker to manipulate network configuration for the SD-WAN fabric.
References
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SW (opens in a new tab)
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa-EHchtZk (opens in a new tab)
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20182 (opens in a new tab)