Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs
CVE-2026-20122 is a medium-severity incorrect use of privileged apis vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager from Cisco, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.4 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager versions: 20.1.12; 19.2.1; 18.4.4, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on April 20, 2026, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.
Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.
What to do
- Update Catalyst Sd-wan Manager to 20.9.8.2 or 20.12.5.3 or 20.15.4.2 or 20.18.2.1, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- CISA's required action: Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlines 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.
- Read the advisory on sec.cloudapps.cisco.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco | Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | 20.1.12; 19.2.1; 18.4.4; 18.4.5; 20.1.1.1; 20.1.1; 19.3.0; 19.2.2; and 32 more ranges | Not stated |
| Cisco | Catalyst Sd-wan Manager | before 20.9.8.2; 20.10 up to, but not including, 20.12.5.3; 20.13 up to, but not including, 20.15.4.2; 20.16 up to, but not including, 20.18.2.1; 20.12.6 | 20.9.8.2, 20.12.5.3, 20.15.4.2, 20.18.2.1 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- LowSome restricted data can be read.
- Integrity
- LowLimited modification of data is possible.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 5.4 | Medium | CNA (cisco.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 5.4 | Medium | NVD |
Official description
A vulnerability in the API of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to overwrite arbitrary files on the local file system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid read-only credentials with API access on the affected system. This vulnerability is due to improper file handling on the API interface of an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a malicious file on the local file system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to overwrite arbitrary files on the affected system and gain vmanage user privileges.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs
The product does not conform to the API requirements for a function call that requires extra privileges. This could allow attackers to gain privileges by causing the function to be called incorrectly.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Before calling privileged APIs, always ensure that the assumptions made by the privileged code hold true prior to making the call.
- Know architecture and implementation weaknesses of the privileged APIs and make sure to account for these weaknesses before calling the privileged APIs to ensure that they can be called safely.
- If privileged APIs make certain assumptions about data, context or state validity that are passed by the caller, the calling code must ensure that these assumptions have been validated prior to making the call.
More Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs vulnerabilities (CWE-648)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
- Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Third-party and government advisories
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20122US Government Resource
Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.7 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
Recent Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.7 High severity
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