CVE-2026-20272
Received Received - Intake

Improper Input Validation in Cisco IOS XE Software

Publication date: 2026-08-05

Last updated on: 2026-08-05

Assigner: Cisco Systems, Inc.

Description
As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco IOS XE Software engineering team has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in software hardening releases that address multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-20272 are related to issues with improper neutralization of special elements that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Pillar CWE-74.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-05
Last Modified
2026-08-05
Generated
2026-08-05
AI Q&A
2026-08-05
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-20272
EUVD
EUVD-2026-53458

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
cisco ios_xe *
cisco ios_xe *-*
cisco ios_xe_software *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-74 The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is related to improper neutralization of special elements, classified under CWE-74. It affects Cisco IOS XE Software and could allow attackers to inject malicious input, potentially leading to unauthorized access or system compromise.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability has a high severity score (CVSS 9.8) and could impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems. Attackers might exploit it to gain control, steal data, or disrupt services.

Compliance Impact

The vulnerability involves improper neutralization of special elements (CWE-74), which could lead to injection attacks. This may compromise data integrity and confidentiality, potentially violating GDPR (data protection) and HIPAA (health data security) requirements if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Cisco IOS XE Software updates addressing CWE-74 vulnerabilities. Monitor Cisco's security advisories for patches and follow their hardening recommendations.

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