Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Directory or Path Traversal
CVE-2026-20262 is a medium-severity improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager from Cisco, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 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 June 15, 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 20.9.9.2 or 20.12.7.2 or 20.15.4.5 or 20.15.5.3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- CISA's 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.
- 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 20.9.9.2; 20.10 up to, but not including, 20.12.7.2; 20.13 up to, but not including, 20.15.4.5; 20.15.5 up to, but not including, 20.15.5.3; 20.16 up to, but not including, 20.18.3.1; 26.1 up to, but not including, 26.1.1.2 | 20.9.9.2, 20.12.7.2, 20.15.4.5, 20.15.5.3, 20.18.3.1, 26.1.1.2 |
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
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N. Scored by CNA (cisco.com).
Official description
A vulnerability in the web UI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, formerly SD-WAN vManage, could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to create a file or overwrite any file on the filesystem of an affected system. This vulnerability exists because the affected software does not properly validate user-supplied input during a file upload process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected API endpoint of the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to create or overwrite any file on the underlying operating system. This file could later be used to elevate to root. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials with at least a lower-privileged, single-task user account.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
- Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth.
More Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities (CWE-22)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- 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-2026-20262US 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 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities
- 8.6 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.6 High severity
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