CVE-2026-20316: Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center…

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 Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC). CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-07-29, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2026-08-01; treat that as the outer limit, not the target. CISA also lists it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
EPSS 35.1%, percentile 98: FIRST’s model estimates a 35.1% 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.
Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
Editorial verdict: Act now. Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20316: Exploited Hard-Coded Password — If you run on-premises Cisco FMC and have not installed the July hot fix or a September hardening release, upgrade now and check for the published indicator; the login needs no guessing and CISA ties the bug to ransomware.

What it is

A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected device using a low-privileged account to access sensitive data within the impacted systems. This vulnerability is due to the presence of static user credentials for a low-privileged account. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the account to log in to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to the affected system and access sensitive data as the low-privileged user.  Note: If the FMC management interface does not have public internet access, the attack surface that is associated with this vulnerability is reduced.   Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of High rather than Medium as the score indicates. The reason is that this vulnerability can be used with other Cisco Secure FMC Software vulnerabilities to elevate privileges.

CISA’s summary

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) formerly known as Firepower Management Center contains a use of hard-coded password vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected device using a low-privileged account to access sensitive data within the impacted systems.

Weakness type: CWE-259.

Product: Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) · Assigned by: cisco · Published: 2026-07-29

Affected and fixed versions

Vendor	Product	Affected versions (per CVE record)
Cisco	Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC)	7.0.0, 7.0.0.1, 7.0.1, 7.0.1.1, 7.0.2, 7.2.0, 7.0.2.1, 7.0.3, 7.2.0.1, 7.0.4, 7.2.1, 7.0.5

Severity scores

Scored by	CVSS	Score	Vector
cisco	3.1	5.3 Medium	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`

Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
Attack complexity: low
Privileges required: none (no login)
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 2026-07-29; federal due date 2026-08-01. Known ransomware use: Known.
CISA required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 35.10% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 98.

Timeline

2026-07-29 — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
2026-07-29 — CVE record published by cisco
2026-07-29 — erroneo.us brief: Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20316: Exploited Hard-Coded Password
2026-08-01 — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
2026-09-16 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.