CVE-2026-20079: Cisco Firewall Management Center Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on , 189 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 88.5%
EPSS score, percentile 99.8 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 10.0 Critical
CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA
- What should I do?
CISA deadline . Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions … Full text
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- 7.0.0
- 7.0.0.1
- 7.0.1
- 7.1.0
- 7.0.1.1
- 7.1.0.1
and 6 more in the table below
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of ; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of ; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of . About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
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 due date for this action: .
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-onprem-fmc-authbypass-5JPp45V2
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20079
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 7.0.0 |
| Affected | 7.0.0.1 |
| Affected | 7.0.1 |
| Affected | 7.1.0 |
| Affected | 7.0.1.1 |
| Affected | 7.1.0.1 |
| Affected | 7.0.2 |
| Affected | 7.2.0 |
| Affected | 7.0.2.1 |
| Affected | 7.0.3 |
| Affected | 7.1.0.2 |
| Affected | 7.2.0.1 |
Versions not listed are: unknown.
And 60 more version entries in the CVE record.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of . About the data.
About this vulnerability
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software and Cisco Security Cloud Control (SCC) Firewall Management contain an authentication Bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability that 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.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of .
- CISA added CVE-2026-20079 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 9 Sep 2026.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 12 Sep 2026.
- The CVE record was published on 4 Mar 2026, 189 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (Critical), given by its CNA.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 88.5% (percentile 99.8), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of ; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of ; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of . About the data.
Description
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Authentication Bypass Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
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.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of . About the data.
Weakness
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| CVE record published | |
| Added to CISA KEV | |
| CISA due date for the required action | |
| CVE record last updated |
References
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