--- title: "CVE-2026-20245: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output Vulnerability" url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-20245/ description: "CVE-2026-20245 (Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager): Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV). A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, formerly…" type: vulnerability-record section: "Security Digest" date_published: 2026-06-04 date_modified: 2026-07-21 publisher: erroneo.us author: erroneo.us Security Desk cve: "CVE-2026-20245" kev: true cvss: 7.8 epss: 0.25323 license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link. --- # CVE-2026-20245: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output Vulnerability **Signal:** Exploited: patch now if you run it. CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.) ## Should you act? - Yes, if you run Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-06-09, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2026-06-23 ; treat that as the outer limit, not the target. - EPSS 25.3% , percentile 98: FIRST’s model estimates a 25.3% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 98% 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. ## What it is 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. ## Affected products (CVE record) - 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 - 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 ## Severity - cisco CVSS 3.1: 7.8 `CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` ## Exploitation - CISA KEV: added 2026-06-09; federal due date 2026-06-23. Known ransomware use: Unknown. - CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. - CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active , automatable no , technical impact total . - FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 25.32% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 98. ## Sources - [Listed in CISA KEV notes (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com)](https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-privesc-4uxFrdzx) - [CVE.org record CVE-2026-20245](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-20245) - [NVD entry CVE-2026-20245](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20245) - [CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entry](https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20245) - [CVE-2026-20182 or