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CVE-2026-20079

CRITICAL 10 KNOWN EXPLOITED PoC CATALOGUED DETECTION TEMPLATE ALL-YEARS

Published 2026-03-04 · Last modified 2026-09-16 · cisco · NVD: Analyzed

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. 

ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

Confirmed exploited in the wild — in CISA KEV since 2026-09-09. Patch or mitigate now.

Exploitation likelihood

88.5%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 100th percentile

● In CISA KEV (2026-09-09)● Catalogued PoC◆ SSVC: exploitation active, automatable yes

Impact if exploited

10CVSS 3.1 · CRITICAL · CNA

  • ConfidentialityHigh
  • IntegrityHigh
  • AvailabilityHigh

What an attacker needs

  • ✓Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
  • ✓Privileges: No account or privileges required
  • ✓User interaction: No user interaction needed
  • ✓Complexity: No special conditions — reliably repeatable

✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it

Proof of concept

Public PoC or exploit resources are catalogued below.

Listed by the named source; Vulnpedia has not tested these resources.

PoC data: JSON

Detection templates

Detection checks are listed separately from PoCs.

Resource commands

nuclei -id CVE-2026-20079 -u https://TARGETDetection template — review its checks and affected versions before use.
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-20079/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).

Search for new PoCs

Search GitHub now — results may be empty or unverified.

Tracked sources are checked weekly for the full archive, including PoCs published after the original disclosure. A later release appears after a tracked source lists it and a refresh succeeds.

Data snapshot:

Affected

Vendors Cisco

Products Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (Fmc) Secure Firewall Management Center

Weakness (CWE)

  • CWE-288: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

References and research data (JSON)

Unverified PoC candidates

Catalogue matches for further research. These repositories have not been validated as working exploits.

3 candidates

Additional exploitation reports

Source-specific reports, separate from CISA KEV. Repeated observations from one source are not independent confirmations.

  • ENISA EU KEV · 2026-09-09EUVD · EUVD-2026-9438
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-09-09T00:00:00Z

    Source guidance: 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.

    Source ransomware assessment: Unknown

    VulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079 · Updated 2026-09-09T00:00:00Z
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-09-09T00:00:00ZVulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079
    VulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079
    VulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-09-11T00:00:00ZVulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-10-07T00:00:00ZVulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-10-13T00:00:00ZVulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-10-23T00:00:00ZVulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20079

Known Affected Software Configurations

VendorProductVersion range
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.0.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.1.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.2.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.3
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.4
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.5
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.6
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.6.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.6.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.6.3
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.7
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.8
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.8.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.0.9
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.1.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.1.0.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.1.0.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.1.0.3
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.0.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.3
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.3.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.4
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.4.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.5
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.5.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.5.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.6
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.7
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.8
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.8.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.9
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.10
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.10.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.10.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.2.11
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.3.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.3.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.3.1.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.3.1.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.1.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.2.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.2.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.2.3
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.2.4
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.3
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.4
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.5
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.6
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.4.7
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.6.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.6.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.6.2
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.6.2.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.6.3
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.6.4
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.6.5
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.7.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.7.10
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.7.10.1
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.7.11
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center7.7.12
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center10.0.0
CiscoSecure Firewall Management Center10.0.1

All CVSS metrics

  • CRITICAL 10 v3.1 · CNA Primary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • CRITICAL 10 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

References

Exploit-tagged references (not proof of a PoC)

Advisories

Technical & other

Sources: NVD · CVE.org · All sources and attribution · EPSS