Vulnerability in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (Fmc)
CVE-2026-20079
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.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 10.0 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.882 (99.8th percentile), scored .
High probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — patch promptly. 100th percentile — 99.8% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.758 · newest: 0.882 · change: +0.124
Affected products
- Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (Fmc) — versions 7.4.1, 7.6.1, 7.0.9
- Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center — versions 10.0.0, 10.0.1, 7.0.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)
This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on . CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.
BOD 22-01 due date: .
Required action: 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.
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-… (Vendor Advisory)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 (Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-20079?
- CVE-2026-20079 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (Fmc), classified under Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel. CVSS score: 10.0/10. Published 2026-03-04.
- How severe is CVE-2026-20079?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 10.0 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2026-20079 known to be exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2026-20079 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2026-09-09), indicating it is being actively exploited. 4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.