How severe is CVE-2026-20272?

CVE-2026-20272 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, 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-2026-20272 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (45th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-20272?

CVE-2026-20272 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe. In total, 267 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20272?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2026-20272 published?

CVE-2026-20272 was published on 2026-08-05 and last updated on 2026-10-03.

CVE-2026-20272

CVE-2026-20272 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-74.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (45th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-74
Affected product: Cisco Ios Xe
Published: 2026-08-05
Last modified: 2026-10-03

Description

As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco IOS XE Software engineering team has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in software hardening releases that address multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-20272 are related to issues with improper neutralization of special elements that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Pillar CWE-74.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-20272?: As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco IOS XE Software engineering team has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in software hardening releases that address multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-20272 are related to issues with improper neutralization of special elements that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Pillar CWE-74.
How severe is CVE-2026-20272?: CVE-2026-20272 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, 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-2026-20272 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (45th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-20272?: CVE-2026-20272 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe. In total, 267 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-20272?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2026-20272 published?: CVE-2026-20272 was published on 2026-08-05 and last updated on 2026-10-03.

References

Affected products (267)

cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.4a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.4s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.5a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.5b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.7a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.6.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.7.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.7.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.7.1b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.1b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.1c:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.1d:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.1e:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.1s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.8.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.1b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.1c:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.1d:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.1s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.2a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.2s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.9.3a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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