Security Digest · Vulnerability record · Known exploited
CVE-2022-20775: Cisco SD-WAN Path Traversal Vulnerability
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV). A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco SD-WAN Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain elevated privileges.
CISA KEV · added 2026-02-25 CVSS 7.8 High EPSS 12.5% · p96 Act now
Should you act?
Exploited: patch now if you run it
CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Yes, if you run Cisco SD-WAN. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-02-25, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2026-02-27; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
- EPSS 12.5%, percentile 96: FIRST’s model estimates a 12.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 96% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs local access needed. Lower urgency for most teams unless an attacker could already run code on the machine.
- Editorial verdict: Act now. Cisco SD-WAN CVE-2026-20127: CVSS 10 Bypass, ED 26-03 — If you run on-prem Catalyst SD-WAN control components, upgrade and hunt now: a sophisticated actor has used this bypass for years, and the follow-on SD-WAN bugs CISA keeps adding to KEV show the platform is still being targeted.
What it is
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco SD-WAN Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain elevated privileges. This vulnerability is due to improper access controls on commands within the application CLI. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by running a maliciously crafted command on the application CLI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as the root user. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sd-wan-priv-E6e8tEdF
CISA’s summary
Cisco SD-WAN CLI contains a path traversal vulnerability that could allow an authenticated local attacker to gain elevated privileges via improper access controls on commands within the application CLI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as the root user.
Weakness type: CWE-25, CWE-282.
Product: Cisco SD-WAN · Assigned by: cisco · Published: 2022-09-30
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco | Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN | 18.3.1, 19.2.1, 17.2.4, 19.3.0, 18.3.0, 18.3.4, 18.4.303, 18.4.0.1, 17.2.9, 18.3.7, 18.2.0, 17.2.10 |
| 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 |
| Cisco | Cisco SD-WAN vContainer | 18.4.5, 20.1.12, 18.3.6, 19.2.1, 19.3.0, 20.1.1, 19.2.2, 18.3.8, 18.4.3, 18.4.4, 18.4.302, 19.1.0 |
| Cisco | Cisco SD-WAN vEdge Cloud | 19.2.1, 20.1.12, 18.4.4, 19.3.0, 18.3.8, 19.2.2, 20.1.1, 18.3.6, 18.4.3, 18.4.302, 18.4.5, 18.4.303 |
| Cisco | Cisco SD-WAN vEdge Router | 18.4.303, 18.3.7, 19.3.0, 18.2.0, 20.1.12, 19.2.099, 17.2.10, 18.3.3, 18.3.6, 19.0.0, 17.2.6, 18.4.0 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| cisco | 3.1 | 7.8 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: local access needed
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: low (any account)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: added 2026-02-25; federal due date 2026-02-27. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
- CISA required action: Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlines 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 available.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 12.47% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 96.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by cisco
- — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- — erroneo.us brief: Cisco SD-WAN CVE-2026-20127: CVSS 10 Bypass, ED 26-03
- — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- 20220928 Cisco SD-WAN Software Privilege Escalation Vulnerabilities tools.cisco.com
- Listed in CISA KEV notes (cisco.com) cisco.com
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2022-20775 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2022-20775 nvd.nist.gov
Government
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entry cisa.gov
- Listed in CISA KEV notes (cisa.gov) cisa.gov
- Listed in CISA KEV notes (cisa.gov) cisa.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- cisco-sa-sd-wan-priv-E6e8tEdF sec.cloudapps.cisco.com
- github.com github.com
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