CVE-2026-20079
CRITICALCISA KEVEPSS 99th pctlDescription
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 to fix
Actively exploited, no published fix found yet
Federal remediation due: 2026-09-12
Mitigation guidance may be in the linked vendor advisories in the References section below.
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CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 99% of all known CVEs.
Remediation due: 2026-09-12
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-288 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-1709 | Critical | 10.0 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2023-42793 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2024-27198 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2025-4427 | Medium | 5.3 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2024-55591 | Critical | 9.8 | 98% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2023-46747 | Critical | 9.8 | 97% | KEV + Ransom | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-20079?
No published fix for CVE-2026-20079 has been found yet. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list; federal agencies must remediate by 2026-09-12. Apply the vendor's mitigations per CISA's guidance.
Is CVE-2026-20079 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2026-20079 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation has been observed in the wild. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2026-09-12. Treat it as a priority whatever its CVSS score says.
How severe is CVE-2026-20079?
CVE-2026-20079 has a CVSS v3 base score of 10.0, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-09-16.