How severe is CVE-2026-20079?

CVE-2026-20079 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2026-20079 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2026-20079 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2026-09-09, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-20079?

CVE-2026-20079 primarily affects Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. In total, 72 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20079?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2026-20079 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2026-20079 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-9438.

When was CVE-2026-20079 published?

CVE-2026-20079 was published on 2026-03-04 and last updated on 2026-09-16.

CVE-2026-20079

CVE-2026-20079 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center with a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2026-09-09). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-288.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 10.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 88% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2026-09-09)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2026-9438
Weakness: CWE-288
Affected product: Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
Published: 2026-03-04
Last modified: 2026-09-16

Description

A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute script files on an affected device to obtain root access to the underlying operating system.  This vulnerability is due to an improper system process that is created at boot time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute a variety of scripts and commands that allow root access to the device. 

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-20079?: A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute script files on an affected device to obtain root access to the underlying operating system.  This vulnerability is due to an improper system process that is created at boot time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute a variety of scripts and commands that allow root access to the device. 
How severe is CVE-2026-20079?: CVE-2026-20079 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-20079 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2026-20079 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2026-09-09, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-20079?: CVE-2026-20079 primarily affects Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. In total, 72 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-20079?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2026-20079 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2026-20079 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-9438.
When was CVE-2026-20079 published?: CVE-2026-20079 was published on 2026-03-04 and last updated on 2026-09-16.

References

Affected products (72)

cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.1.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.1.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.1.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.10.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.2.10.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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