Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE-2026-20133 is a high-severity exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager from Cisco, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager versions: 17.2.6; 17.2.7; 17.2.8, 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.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco | Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager | 17.2.6; 17.2.7; 17.2.8; 17.2.9; 17.2.10; 17.2.4; 17.2.5; 18.3.1.1; 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
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 6.5 | Medium | CNA (cisco.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | NVD |
Official description
A vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to view sensitive information on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient file system restrictions. An authenticated attacker with netadmin privileges could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the vshell of an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read sensitive information on the underlying operating system.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Compartmentalize the system to have safe areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.
More Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerabilities (CWE-200)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- 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-2026-20133US 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 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerabilities
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
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