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KEV catalog · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-20122 5.4
Cisco · Catalyst SD-WAN Manger · Added 2026-04-20 · Published 2026-02-25
3-Day Required PoC Available KEV Active Exploitation

Details

VulnerabilityCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerability
VendorCisco
ProductCatalyst SD-WAN Manger
Date added2026-04-20
Due date2026-04-23
Required actionPlease 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.
CWECWE-648
CVSS vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Descriptions

KEV: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager contains an incorrect use of privileged APIs vulnerability due to improper file handling on the API interface of an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a malicious file on the local file system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to overwrite arbitrary files on the affected system and gain vmanage user privileges.

NVD: A vulnerability in the API of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to overwrite arbitrary files on the local file system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid read-only credentials with API access on the affected system. This vulnerability is due to improper file handling on the API interface of an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a malicious file on the local file system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to overwrite arbitrary files on the affected system and gain vmanage user privileges.

Compliance SSVC + BOD 26-04

Automatableno
Technical impacttotal
Exploitation statusactive
3-day qualifyingYes
Public timeline3 days + forensic
Non-public timeline14 days
Forensic (public)Required
Forensic (non-public)Not required

Research metadata

Last researched2026-08-26 22:41 UTC
Wall time0.4s
Searches5
Component defaultyes

Hunting hypothesis agent

Hunt Cisco SD-WAN Manager API logs for POST requests to /dataservice/smartLicensing/uploadAck with path traversal sequences (../../) in filenames from read-only accounts, indicating arbitrary file overwrite to gain vmanage admin privileges.

Research details

ComponentSmart Licensing file upload REST API endpoint (/dataservice/smartLicensing/uploadAck) on Catalyst SD-WAN Manager
PreconditionsThe attacker must have network reachability to the Catalyst SD-WAN Manager management interface (typically TCP ports 443/8443 for HTTPS). Valid read-only API credentials with access to the /dataservice/ REST API endpoints are required. The target must be running a vulnerable version of Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (before fixed releases: 20.9.8.2, 20.12.5.3/20.12.6.1, 20.15.4.2, or 20.18.2.1). The Smart Licensing file upload endpoint /dataservice/smartLicensing/uploadAck must be enabled and accessible. No user interaction is needed. The vulnerability stems from improper file path validation in the API file handling logic, allowing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../) to overwrite arbitrary system files including web application deployment directories and SSH authorized_keys files. agent
Deliverya malicious file on the local file system via POST /dataservice/smartLicensing/uploadAck with path traversal in filename
Public PoCyes
Exploit notesCVSS attack complexity: LOW
SummaryCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Smart Licensing file upload REST API endpoint (/dataservice/smartLicensing/uploadAck) | Public PoC exists in zerozenxlabs GitHub repo (mislabeled but functional) | Vendor advisory located at Cisco security advisory cisco-sa-sdwan-authbp-qwCX8D4v

Tia coverage

First reported2026-05-15

When Tia's reporting first covered this CVE and whether a report claimed exploitation before the KEV listing. Lead-time deltas are measured from the exploitation report only — plain coverage is not exploitation intel. See the story links under Mentioned in for coverage detail.

Mentioned in

cisco-sd-wan-zero-day-cve-2026-20182-6th-exploited-flaw-in-2026

Record schema v1.0. Enrichment is research-grade, not a substitute for analyst review.

Source on GitHub