Inside KeyDrift: Analyzing historical UAT-11473 activity on Cisco SD-WAN
Affects Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller and ManagerSource Cisco Talos
Exploited in the wild · KEV due 27 Feb 2026 · public exploit available (Metasploit) : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller and Manager now.
Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 01:27 UTC
- KEV deadline
- US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
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 25 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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.
, 140 days before disclosure
CVE published
on cve.org
, t = 0
In Threat Radar
record ingested
, 6 hours after disclosure
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
, the same day as disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
, 2 days after disclosure
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlines 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-rpa-EHchtZk (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20127 (opens in a new tab)
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| CiscoCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check the firmware or software version for Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller and Manager in the device's admin interface against the vendor advisory.
Description
Cisco Talos identified UAT-11473, an advanced persistent threat actor exploiting CVE-2026-20127, an authentication bypass in Cisco SD-WAN Catalyst Controller instances. The attacker deployed a custom malware framework named KeyDrift, designed to persistently access and exfiltrate sensitive keying material from SD-WAN control-plane processes. KeyDrift includes components such as PolyFlame, which injects into legitimate controller processes to intercept decrypted control traffic, and LittleFilch, which collects and stages keying material for exfiltration. The malware operates stealthily within the controller environment, leveraging modified service scripts and runit service paths for persistence and execution. Targeting spans space and satellite services, defense, aerospace, and policy research sectors. The threat actor's infrastructure overlaps with the Volt Typhoon group’s covert network.