Cisco · Unified Communications Manager
CVE-2026-20230
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Server-Side Request Forgery Vulnerability
What it is
A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks through an affected device.
This vulnerability is due to improper input validation for specific HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to write files to the underlying operating system that could be used later to elevate to root.
Note: Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of Critical rather than High as the score indicates. The reason is that exploitation of this vulnerability could result in an attacker elevating privileges to root.
Note: To exploit this vulnerability, the WebDialer service must be enabled. WebDialer is disabled by default.
CISA: Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME) contain a server-side request forgery (SSRF) Vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to write files to the underlying operating system that could be used later to elevate to root.
What to do
Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
Deadline for US federal agencies: June 28, 2026
More exploited flaws from Cisco
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 2026 | Unified Communications Products Code Injection | Unified Communications Manager | High 8.2 | 4.5% |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Relative Path Traversal | Secure Email Gateway | Critical 9.8 | 2.2% |
| Sep 30, 2026 | Hex Encoding | Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | Critical 9.8 | 39% |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs | Identity Services Engine | Critical 10.0 | 76% |
| Sep 14, 2026 | SQL Injection | Secure Email Gateway | Critical 9.8 | 30% |
| Sep 9, 2026 | Firewall Management Center Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel | Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) and Security Cloud Control (SCC) Firewall Management | Critical 10.0 | 88% |
| Aug 11, 2026 | Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Heap Inspection | Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) | High 8.6 | 1.0% |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Secure Firewall Management Center Use of Hard-coded Password | Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) | Medium 5.3 | 35% |
Sources: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA, public domain), CVE records (cve.org) and EPSS (FIRST). The chance of attacks is the EPSS estimate that someone will try to exploit the flaw in the next 30 days.