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CVE-2026-20182

CRITICAL 10 KNOWN EXPLOITED PoC CATALOGUED DETECTION TEMPLATE ALL-YEARS

Published 2026-05-14 · Last modified 2026-06-16 · cisco · NVD: Analyzed

May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and fixed after the was disclosed in February 2026. This new advisory is for a new vulnerability in the control connection handshaking. The section of this advisory includes Show Control Connections guidance to help with system checks.  A vulnerability in the peering authentication in 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 unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and obtain administrative privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability exists because the peering authentication mechanism in an affected system is not working properly. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted requests to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to an affected Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller as an internal, high-privileged, non-root user account. Using this account, the attacker could access NETCONF, which would then allow the attacker to manipulate network configuration for the SD-WAN fabric.

ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

Confirmed exploited in the wild — in CISA KEV since 2026-05-14. Patch or mitigate now.

Exploitation likelihood

91.8%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 100th percentile

● In CISA KEV (2026-05-14)● 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-2026-20182 -u https://TARGETDetection template — review its checks and affected versions before use.
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-20182/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 Catalyst Sd Wan Controller Cisco Catalyst Sd Wan Manager Catalyst Sd Wan Manager Sd Wan Vbond Orchestrator Sd Wan Vsmart Controller

Weakness (CWE)

  • CWE-287: Improper Authentication

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.

  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-05-14T00:00:00Z

    Source guidance: Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlined in CISA’s Emergency Directive 26-03 (URL listed below in Notes) and CISA’s Hunt & Hardening Guidance for Cisco SD-WAN Devices (URL listed below in Notes). Adhere to the applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are not available.

    Source ransomware assessment: Unknown

    VulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20182 · Updated 2026-05-14T00:00:00Z
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-05-14T00:00:00ZVulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20182
    VulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20182
    VulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20182
    VulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20182
  • VulnCheck KEV · 2026-05-27T00:00:00ZVulnCheck KEV · CVE-2026-20182

Known Affected Software Configurations

VendorProductVersion range
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager< 20.9.9.1
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager≥ 20.10 and < 20.12.5.4
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager≥ 20.12.6 and < 20.12.6.2
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager≥ 20.13 and < 20.15.4.4
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager≥ 20.15.5 and < 20.15.5.2
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager≥ 20.16 and < 20.18.2.2
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager≥ 26.1 and < 26.1.1.1
CiscoCatalyst Sd Wan Manager20.12.7
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator< 20.9.9.1
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator≥ 20.10 and < 20.12.5.4
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator≥ 20.12.6 and < 20.12.6.2
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator≥ 20.13 and < 20.15.4.4
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator≥ 20.15.5 and < 20.15.5.2
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator≥ 20.16 and < 20.18.2.2
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator≥ 26.1 and < 26.1.1.1
CiscoSd Wan Vbond Orchestrator20.12.7
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller< 20.9.9.1
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller≥ 20.10 and < 20.12.5.4
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller≥ 20.12.6 and < 20.12.6.2
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller≥ 20.13 and < 20.15.4.4
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller≥ 20.15.5 and < 20.15.5.2
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller≥ 20.16 and < 20.18.2.2
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller≥ 26.1 and < 26.1.1.1
CiscoSd Wan Vsmart Controller20.12.7

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

Advisories

Technical & other

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