ZeusQA
Start free

Known exploited vulnerability

CVE-2026-20182

criticalCVSS 3.1 10.0In CISA KEVEPSS 92%Published · Cisco

The short answer

CVE-2026-20182 affects Cisco Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller and is rated critical (CVSS 10.0). CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-05-14: attackers are using it, so patch it first.

What it is

May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and fixed after the was disclosed in February 2026. This new advisory is for a new vulnerability in the control connection handshaking. The section of this advisory includes Show Control Connections guidance to help with system checks.  A vulnerability in the peering authentication in 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 unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and obtain administrative privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability exists because the peering authentication mechanism in an affected system is not working properly. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted requests to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to an affected Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller as an internal, high-privileged, non-root user account. Using this account, the attacker could access NETCONF, which would then allow the attacker to manipulate network configuration for the SD-WAN fabric.

Weakness: CWE-287.

Severity

10.0 critical

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploited (CISA KEV)

Yes, since May 14, 2026

Federal due date May 17, 2026

EPSS, next 30 days

92%

Higher than 100% of scored CVEs

How it can be exploited

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

What CISA says to do

Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlined 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…

Affected products

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. NVD's record lists the exact affected versions.

References

Questions

Is CVE-2026-20182 being exploited?

Yes. CISA added CVE-2026-20182 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-05-14, with a federal remediation due date of 2026-05-17.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20182?

CISA's required action: Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlined 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…

From NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS and OSV.dev, checked . Status on NVD: Analyzed. The description is NVD's text, quoted as published.

Related

Know the day a CVE lands in your code

Connect a GitHub repository and ZeusQA checks its dependencies daily, briefs each advisory and opens the fix. Three test runs free, no card.

Start freeSee how a run works