CVE-2026-20122: in the CISA KEV catalogue
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerability. CISA added CVE-2026-20122 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2026-04-20 with a default due date of 2026-04-23. Known ransomware campaign use: Unknown. Forensic triage flag: No.
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. (CISA description)
- Vendor / product
- Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manger
- CWE
- CWE-648
- CISA required action
- Please 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.
- EPSS
- 26%, percentile 97 (scored 2026-11-03)
EPSS puts about 26 in 100 odds (26%) on exploitation activity being observed in the next 30 days. Its score is higher than or equal to that of 97% of scored CVEs. This is a model estimate about exploitation anywhere, not about your environment.
Vendor and reference links (from CISA)
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/ed-26-03-mitigate-vulnerabilities-cisco-sd-wan-systems
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/supplemental-direction-ed-26-03-hunt-and-hardening-guidance-cisco-sd-wan-systems
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-authbp-qwCX8D4v
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20122
Your own deadline under CISA BOD 26-04 depends on exposure, automatability and technical impact: work it out with the BOD 26-04 calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2026-20122 in the CISA KEV catalogue?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2026-20122 (Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerability) to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2026-04-20. CISA's default due date for it is 2026-04-23.
Is CVE-2026-20122 used in ransomware attacks?
CISA marks known ransomware campaign use as Unknown for CVE-2026-20122. That means CISA lacks confirmation, not that ransomware groups do not use it.
What should I do about CVE-2026-20122?
CISA's required action: Please 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.
Sources
- CISA, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (accessed 2026-11-03)
- FIRST, Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) (EPSS by FIRST; scores generated by Empirical Security)
- NVD record for CVE-2026-20122