CVE-2026-20079
Last modified
CVE-2026-20079 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 10/10 on the CVSS scale. 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. CISA has confirmed active exploitation in the wild. EPSS estimates a 75.75% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.
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.
Metrics
Exploitation Status
This vulnerability is listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies must remediate by .
Weakness Enumeration
Affected Software
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.0 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.0.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.1.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.2.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.3 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.4 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.5 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6.3 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.7 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.8 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.8.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.9 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.1.0 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.1.0.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.1.0.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.1.0.3 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.0 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.0.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.3 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.3.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.4 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.4.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.5 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.5.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.5.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.6 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.7 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.8 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.8.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.9 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.10 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.10.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.10.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.2.11 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.3.0 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.3.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.3.1.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.3.1.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.4.0 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.4.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.4.1.1 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.4.2 |
| Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.4.2.1 |
Showing 50 of 72 affected configurations. See NVD for the full list.
References
- https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Aug/80Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/fmc-ongoing-exploitation/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20079US Government Resource
Timeline
- Published
- Last Modified
- Status
- Analyzed
Frequently Asked Questions
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How Strix Helps
- How Strix found a critical auth bypass in etcdStrix autonomously discovered a critical authentication bypass in etcd, later designated CVE-2026-33413.
- Autonomous PentestingAI agents that find and validate exploitable vulnerabilities like this one across your applications.
- PR ReviewsPentest every pull request so vulnerable code is caught before it ships to production.
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