Cisco · Catalyst SD-WAN Manager
CVE-2026-20245
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authenticated Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
What it is
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.
CISA: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager formerly SD-WAN vManage contains an improper encoding or escaping of output vulnerability. This vulnerability could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root by supplying a crafted file to the affected system.
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.
Deadline for US federal agencies: June 23, 2026
More exploited flaws from Cisco
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | Hex Encoding | Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | Critical 9.8 | 39% |
| Jun 15, 2026 | Directory or Path Traversal | Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | Medium 6.5 | 29% |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Storing Passwords in a Recoverable Format | Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | High 7.5 | 7.3% |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor | Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | Medium 6.5 | 31% |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Relative Path Traversal | Secure Email Gateway | Critical 9.8 | 2.2% |
| 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% |
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.