CVE-2026-20245 / Cisco CISCO-SA-SDWAN-PRIVESC-4UXFRDZX: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output Vulnerability

Recommended actionProtect now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2026-06-23 as the remediation due date.

Fix not verified

What, why and how

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

Why

The product prepares a structured message for communication with another component, but encoding or escaping of the data is either missing or done incorrectly. As a result, the intended structure of the message is not preserved.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

Why

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation

Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.

Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2026-06-09.

Public PoC / exploit material

Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.

None recorded

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: local access → Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface: Local
Privileges required: Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction: None
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-116 ↗
CWE-116: Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output. The product prepares a structured message for communication with another component, but encoding or escaping of the data is either missing or done incorrectly. As a result, the intended structure of the message is not preserved.
CVSS vector ? CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.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.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land: After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.

Remote code executionCWE-116CISA KEV

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-34341Known-exploited evidence recorded

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.

Official EUVD record ↗

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2026-1788Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Privilegieneskalation

Ein lokaler Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager ausnutzen, um seine Privilegien zu erhöhen.

Official advisory ↗

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV26-551Cisco security advisory (AV26-551) - Update 1

On June 4, 2026, Cisco published a security advisory to address a vulnerability in the following product: On June 9, 2026, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added CVE-2026-20245 to their Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Database.

Official advisory ↗

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20260610Security Bulletin 10 Jun 2026

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 10 Jun 2026, published on 10 June 2026. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗

CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2026-AVI-0699Vulnérabilité dans Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Une vulnérabilité a été découverte dans Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. Elle permet à un attaquant de provoquer une élévation de privilèges. Cisco indique que la vulnérabilité CVE-2026-20245 est activement exploitée.

Official advisory ↗

NBSZ-NKI · Hungarian · cve-2026-20245CVE-2026-20245

Magas

Official advisory ↗

JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2026-019144シスコシステムズのCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager等の複数製品におけるエンコードおよびエスケープに関する脆弱性

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller（旧称SD-WAN vSmart）、Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager（旧称SD-WAN vManage）、およびCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator（旧称SD-WAN vBond）のCLIに存在する脆弱性により、認証済みのローカル攻撃者が特殊に細工されたファイルを影響を受けるシステムに提供することでroot権限で任意のコマンドを実行できる可能性があります。この脆弱性はユーザーが提供する入力の検証不足によって発生します。攻撃者は細工されたファイルを影響を受けるシステムにアップロードすることで脆弱性を悪用できます。攻撃に成功すると、影響を受けるシステムに対してコマンドインジェクション攻撃を行い、rootユーザーとして権限を昇格させることが可能です。脆弱性を悪用するには、攻撃者が影響を受けるシステム上でnetadmin権限を持っている必要があり、これは有効な認証情報を持つか、もしくは他の手法による権限昇格が必要です。Ciscoは他の方法による成功例を把握していません。Ciscoはこのバグの悪用がエッジデバイスに設定変更を反映させる事例が限定的に見られたことを確認しています。Ciscoは2026年5月14日に公開されたセキュリティアドバイザリで文書化された修正版ソフトウェアへのアップグレードおよびエッジデバイスの設定確認を推奨しています。

Official advisory ↗

KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-6864Cisco 제품 보안 업데이트 권고

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN에서 발생하는 Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output 취약점(CVE-2026-20245) [1][2]

Official advisory ↗

KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-6836美 CISA 발표 주요 Exploit 정보공유(Update. 2026-06-09)

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output Vulnerability

Official advisory ↗

NCSC-NL · Dutch · NCSC-2026-0175Kwetsbaarheid verholpen in Cisco SD-WAN Manager

A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager allows an authenticated local attacker with netadmin privileges to execute arbitrary root commands by uploading a crafted file due to insufficient input validation.

Official advisory ↗

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 Catalyst SD-WAN Controller: 20.6.4, 20.9.2, 20.3.6, 20.7.2, 20.7.1, 20.5.1, 20.6.2, 19.3.0, 20.6.1, 17.2.4, 18.2.0, 18.4.6, 19.1.0, 19.2.4, 19.2.929, 18.3.8, 18.4.303, 18.3.7, 18.4.1, 19.2.097, 19.2.0, 19.2.099, 18.3.6, 20.4.2, 19.0.0, 20.9.1, 20.3.5, 20.3.1, 18.3.5, 20.6.3, 18.4.3, 18.4.4, 18.3.3, 17.2.8, 20.8.1, 19.2.32, 19.2.2, 17.2.5, 18.4.0, 20.4.1.1, 20.1.3, 20.1.2, 17.2.10, 19.2.098, 20.1.1, 17.2.6, 19.2.1, 18.3.4, 20.4.1, 17.2.9, 19.2.31, 19.0.1a, 18.3.0, 17.2.7, 18.4.5, 20.3.4, 20.3.3, 20.4.1.2, 20.3.2, 18.3.1, 20.1.12, 19.2.3, 20.10.1, 20.6.5, 20.3.7, 20.9.3, 20.11.1, 20.6.3.2, 20.4.2.3, 20.3.5.1, 20.3.4.3, 20.9.3.1, 20.6.4.1, 20.3.3.2, 20.6.5.2, 20.3.7.1, 20.11.1.1, 20.10.1.1, 20.6.1.2, 20.1.3.1, 20.9.2.2, 20.6.5.3, 20.6.3.3, 20.3.7.2, 20.6.5.4, 20.9.2.3, 20.9.4, 20.12.1, 20.3.8, 20.6.6, 20.12.2, 20.13.1, 20.9.5, 20.12.3, 20.6.7, 20.9.5.1, 20.14.1, 20.12.3.1, 20.12.4, 20.15.1, 20.9.6, 20.6.8, 20.16.1, 20.9.5.3, 20.12.4.1, 20.15.2, 20.12.5, 20.9.7, 20.15.3, 20.12.5.1, 20.12.5.2, 20.15.4, 20.9.7.1, 20.18.1, 20.12.6, 20.9.8, 20.15.4.1, 20.18.2, 26.1.1, 20.15.4.2, 20.18.2.1, 20.12.5.3, 20.12.6.1, 20.9.8.2, 20.15.5, 20.18.3, 20.12.7, 20.9.9, 20.18.2.2, 20.12.5.4, 20.12.7.1, 20.15.5.1, 20.15.4.3, 20.12.6.2, 20.15.5.2, 20.15.4.4, 26.1.1.1, 20.9.9.1, 26.1.1.2, 20.15.4.5, 20.15.5.3
1 additional product group retained in the authoritative source
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. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.

Official vendor articles2 stored documents

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 Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authentication Bypass Vulnerability →Original publisher ↗Searchable text snapshot · Captured 29 Sep 2026Home / Cisco Security / Security Advisories Cisco Security Advisory Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authentication Bypass Vulnerability Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authentication Bypass Vulnerability --> Cisco Security Advisory Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authentication Bypass Vulnerability Critical Adv
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, and Catalyst SD-WAN Validator Authenticated Privilege Escalation Vulnerability →Original publisher ↗Searchable text snapshot · Captured 28 Sep 2026Home / Cisco Security / Security Advisories Cisco Security Advisory Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, and Catalyst SD-WAN Validator Authenticated Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, and Catalyst SD-WAN Validator Authenticated Privile

Evidence and provenance

Published 4 Jun 2026 · Last source change 21 Jul 2026, 16:17 UTC · CWE-116 · Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2

CVSS sourceCNA

EPSS source

The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.

FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14

European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-34341

Product sourceCISA KEV

Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references

CWE sourceCNA

NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

25 Aug 2026, 12:07 UTC
BlackTree coverageBlackTree article coverage changed from no BlackTree article to 1 BlackTree article.
Before
no BlackTree article
After
1 BlackTree article
BlackTree editorial ↗
21 Jul 2026, 16:17 UTC
Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: removed remediation: cyber.gc.ca/cisco-security-advisory-av26-551.
Before
remediation: cyber.gc.ca/cisco-security-advisory-av26-551 · vendor advisory: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx · vendor advisory: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SW
After
vendor advisory: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx · vendor advisory: sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SW
psirt@cisco.com ↗
21 Jul 2026, 16:17 UTC
Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Mitigation available to Awaiting fix.
Before
Mitigation available
After
Awaiting fix
psirt@cisco.com ↗
21 Jul 2026, 16:17 UTC
Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
Before
20.6.4; 20.9.2; 20.3.6; 20.7.2; 20.7.1; 20.5.1; 20.6.2; 19.3.0 · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
After
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller: 20.6.4, 20.9.2, 20.3.6, 20.7.2, 20.7.1, 20.5.1, 20.6.2, 19.3.0, 20.6.1, 17.2.4, 18.2.0, 18.4.6, 19.1.0, 19.2.4, 19.2.929, 18.3.8, 18.4.303, 18.3.7, 18.4.1, 19.2.097, 19.2.0, 19.2.099, 18.3.6, 20.4.2, 19.0.0, 20.9.1, 20.3.5, 20.3.1, 18.3.5, 20.6.3, 18.4.3, 18.4.4, 18.3.3, 17.2.8, 20.8.1, 19.2.32, 19.2.2, 17.2.5, 18.4.0, 20.4.1.1, 20.1.3, 20.1.2, 17.2.10, 19.2.098, 20.1.1, 17.2.6, 19.2.1, 18.3.4, 20.4.1, 17.2.9, 19.2.31, 19.0.1a, 18.3.0, 17.2.7, 18.4.5, 20.3.4, 20.3.3, 20.4.1.2, 20.3.2, 18.3.1, 20.1.12, 19.2.3, 20.10.1, 20.6.5, 20.3.7, 20.9.3, 20.11.1, 20.6.3.2, 20.4.2.3, 20.3.5.1, 20.3.4.3, 20.9.3.1, 20.6.4.1, 20.3.3.2, 20.6.5.2, 20.3.7.1, 20.11.1.1, 20.10.1.1, 20.6.1.2, 20.1.3.1, 20.9.2.2, 20.6.5.3, 20.6.3.3, 20.3.7.2, 20.6.5.4, 20.9.2.3, 20.9.4, 20.12.1, 20.3.8, 20.6.6, 20.12.2, 20.13.1, 20.9.5, 20.12.3, 20.6.7, 20.9.5.1, 20.14.1, 20.12.3.1, 20.12.4, 20.15.1, 20.9.6, 20.6.8, 20.16.1, 20.9.5.3, 20.12.4.1, 20.15.2, 20.12.5, 20.9.7, 20.15.3, 20.12.5.1, 20.12.5.2, 20.15.4, 20.9.7.1, 20.18.1, 20.12.6, 20.9.8, 20.15.4.1, 20.18.2, 26.1.1, 20.15.4.2, 20.18.2.1, 20.12.5.3, 20.12.6.1, 20.9.8.2, 20.15.5, 20.18.3, 20.12.7, 20.9.9, 20.18.2.2, 20.12.5.4, 20.12.7.1, 20.15.5.1, 20.15.4.3, 20.12.6.2, 20.15.5.2, 20.15.4.4, 26.1.1.1, 20.9.9.1, 26.1.1.2, 20.15.4.5, 20.15.5.3; 1 additional product group retained in the authoritative source · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
CNA ↗
9 Jun 2026, 19:28 UTC
Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.
Before
Awaiting fix
After
Mitigation available
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security ↗

2026-06-04CVE published

2026-06-09Added to CISA KEV

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-34341↗CISA KEV record↗CVE authority or vendor reference · Cisco CISCO-SA-SDWAN-PRIVESC-4UXFRDZX↗Vendor advisory · Cisco CISCO-SA-SDWAN-RPA2-V69WY2SW↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗

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.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output Vulnerability

Published severity in operational context

Evidence used

Compensating controls

Verification

National CERT insights
?
CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

EUVD-2026-34341

What, why and how

Exploit reality and attack path

Official authority intelligence

Patch and workaround

Evidence and provenance

What changed after publication