Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- EPSS is 0.27% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-20151High confidence
Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Cisco · Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem
Official source article: Cisco CISCO-SA-CSSM-PRIV-ESC-XRANOUO8 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.
7.3HighCVSS 3.1
Within 7 days
Fix not verifiedHigh technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityHigh→Operational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs Cisco Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Fix not verified01
What, why and how
A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to the improper transmission of sensitive user information. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted message to an affected Cisco SSM On-Prem host and retrieving session credentials from subsequent status messages. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges on the affected system from low to administrative. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials for a user account with at least the role of System User. Note: This vulnerability exposes information only about users who logged in to the Cisco SSM On-Prem host using the web interface and who are currently logged in. SSH sessions are not affected.
What
A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to the improper transmission of sensitive user information. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted message to an affected Cisco SSM On-Prem host and retrieving session credentials from subsequent status messages. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges on the affected system from low to administrative. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials for a user account with at least the role of System User. Note: This vulnerability exposes information only about users who logged in to the Cisco SSM On-Prem host using the web interface and who are currently logged in. SSH sessions are not affected.
Why
The code transmits data to another actor, but a portion of the data includes sensitive information that should not be accessible to that actor.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.
What
A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to the improper transmission of sensitive user information. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted message to an affected Cisco SSM On-Prem host and retrieving session credentials from subsequent status messages. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges on the affected system from low to administrative. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials for a user account with at least the role of System User. Note: This vulnerability exposes information only about users who logged in to the Cisco SSM On-Prem host using the web interface and who are currently logged in. SSH sessions are not affected.
Why
The code transmits data to another actor, but a portion of the data includes sensitive information that should not be accessible to that actor.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data → gain additional privileges
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low: a basic authenticated account is required
- User interaction
- Required interaction required
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-201 ↗
CWE-201: Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data. The code transmits data to another actor, but a portion of the data includes sensitive information that should not be accessible to that actor.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UIRequiredUser interaction: Another user must perform an action for exploitation to succeed.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- Stolen credentials, tokens and legitimate administration functions may provide continued access without deploying a large custom toolset.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Fix not verified
- Affected
- Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem: 7-202001, 8-202004, 8-202006, 8-202012, 8-202010, 8-202008, 9-202201, 8-202102, 8-202105, 8-202108, 8-202112, 8-202201, 8-202206, 8-202212, 8-202302, 8-202303, 8-202304, 8-202308, 8-202401, 8-202404, 9-202406, 9-202407, 9-202410, 9-202412, 9-202501, 9-202502, 9-202504, 9-202507, 9-202510
- Fixed
- No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
- Action
- No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
Official vendor articles1 stored document
Linked articles are downloaded and versioned as source evidence. A CVE mention or approved update relationship does not, by itself, verify a fix for every product branch.
- Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Privilege Escalation Vulnerability →Original publisher ↗Searchable text snapshot · Captured 29 Sep 2026Home / Cisco Security / Security Advisories Cisco Security Advisory Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Privilege Escalation Vulnerability --> Cisco Security Advisory Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Hig
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 1 Apr 2026 · Last source change 2 Apr 2026, 03:56 UTC · CWE-201 · Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-17954
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.