CVE-2026-20245: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller · Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output
Affects Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN ControllerSource CVE Database V5
Exploited in the wild · KEV due 23 Jun 2026 · 25% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller now.
Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 19:04 UTC
- KEV deadline
- US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
- EPSS
- 25.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 97% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
Public exploit code: GitHub proofs of concept
Exploited in the wildExploited: evidence found.
Listed in CISA KEV 5 days after 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.
, 239 days before disclosure
CVE published
on cve.org
, t = 0
In Threat Radar
record ingested
, 16 minutes after disclosure
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
, 5 days after disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
, 19 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
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
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
A vulnerability in the CLI of 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 authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root by supplying a crafted file to the affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a crafted file to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform command injection attacks on an affected system and elevate their privileges as the root user. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have netadmin privileges on the affected system. This would require valid credentials or exploitation of or . Cisco is not aware of successful exploitation by other methods. Cisco has observed limited cases where the exploitation of this bug resulted in a configuration change pushed to edge devices. Cisco recommends that customers upgrade to the fixed software that is documented in the that was published on May 14, 2026, and verify the configuration of the edge devices.
References
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx (opens in a new tab)
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SW (opens in a new tab)
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20245 (opens in a new tab)