CVE-2026-20245
Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete
Command Injection in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager CLI

Publication date: 2026-06-04

Last updated on: 2026-06-10

Assigner: Cisco Systems, Inc.

Description
A vulnerability in the CLI of 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 authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root by supplying a crafted file to the affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a crafted file to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform command injection attacks on an affected system and elevate their privileges as the root user.  To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have netadmin privileges on the affected system. This would require valid credentials or exploitation of or . Cisco is not aware of successful exploitation by other methods. Cisco has observed limited cases where the exploitation of this bug resulted in a configuration change pushed to edge devices. Cisco recommends that customers upgrade to the fixed software that is documented in the that was published on May 14, 2026, and verify the configuration of the edge devices.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-06-04
Last Modified
2026-06-10
Generated
2026-06-25
AI Q&A
2026-06-05
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-24
NVD
CVE-2026-20245
EUVD
EUVD-2026-34341
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 16 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager to 20.9.9.1 (exc)
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager From 20.12.6 (inc) to 20.12.6.2 (exc)
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager From 20.13 (inc) to 20.15.4.4 (exc)
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager From 20.15.5 (inc) to 20.15.5.2 (exc)
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager From 20.16 (inc) to 20.18.2.2 (exc)
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager From 26.1 (inc) to 26.1.1.1 (exc)
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager 20.12.7
cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager From 20.10 (inc) to 20.12.5.4 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller to 20.9.9.1 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller From 20.10 (inc) to 20.12.5.4 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller From 20.12.6 (inc) to 20.12.6.2 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller From 20.13 (inc) to 20.15.4.4 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller From 20.15.5 (inc) to 20.15.5.2 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller From 20.16 (inc) to 20.18.2.2 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller From 26.1 (inc) to 26.1.1.1 (exc)
cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller 20.12.7
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-116 The product prepares a structured message for communication with another component, but encoding or escaping of the data is either missing or done incorrectly. As a result, the intended structure of the message is not preserved.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the CLI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (formerly SD-WAN vManage). It allows an authenticated local attacker with netadmin privileges to execute arbitrary commands as the root user by supplying a specially crafted file to the system.

The root cause is insufficient validation of user-supplied input, which enables command injection attacks and privilege escalation to root.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the affected system.

This could lead to unauthorized configuration changes, including changes pushed to edge devices, potentially compromising the network infrastructure.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, Cisco recommends upgrading to the fixed software version documented in the security advisory published on May 14, 2026.

Additionally, verify the configuration of the edge devices to ensure no unauthorized changes have been pushed.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows an authenticated local attacker with netadmin privileges to execute arbitrary commands as root, potentially leading to full system compromise and unauthorized configuration changes on edge devices.

Such unauthorized access and privilege escalation could result in exposure, modification, or disruption of sensitive data and systems, which may impact compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA that require protection of data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Organizations using affected Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager systems should consider this vulnerability a significant risk to their security posture and compliance obligations, and should apply recommended mitigations promptly.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by monitoring for indicators of compromise in system logs and checking for unauthorized configuration changes pushed to edge devices.

Cisco recommends collecting admin-tech files before upgrading and reviewing them for signs of exploitation.

Since the vulnerability involves command injection via uploading crafted files by an authenticated user with netadmin privileges, detection involves auditing CLI activity and file uploads for suspicious or unexpected commands or files.

No specific detection commands are provided in the available resources.

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