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CVE-2026-20079

Critical 10.0 Exploited in the wild (KEV)

Confirmed active exploitation — CISA KEV catalog

Name
Cisco Firewall Management Center Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel Vulnerability
Added to catalog
Remediation due date (US federal)
Required action
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.

Description

A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute script files on an affected device to obtain root access to the underlying operating system.  This vulnerability is due to an improper system process that is created at boot time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute a variety of scripts and commands that allow root access to the device. 

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
10.0 (CRITICAL) Score source: CNA CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS — exploit probability
89% (percentile: 100) as of 1 November 2026
CWE
CWE-288

Affected products

cisco: secure firewall management center

References