dbcve.org
Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2020-26071

HIGH · 8.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
86/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco SD-WAN Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to create or overwrite arbitrary files on an affected device, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation for specific commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by including crafted arguments to those specific commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to create or overwrite arbitrary files on the affected device, which could result in a DoS condition.Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This vulnerability in Cisco SD-WAN Software's CLI allows an authenticated local attacker to create or overwrite arbitrary files on affected devices due to insufficient input validation on specific commands. The attacker exploits the vulnerability by providing crafted arguments to these commands, potentially leading to denial of service. The vulnerability requires local access and valid authentication credentials.

MitigationApply the Cisco software updates that address this vulnerability; there are no available workarounds. Organizations should plan maintenance windows to test and deploy the vendor patch.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication
Affected:= 17.2.4= 17.2.5= 17.2.6= 17.2.7= 17.2.8= 17.2.9= 17.2.10= 18.2.0= 18.3.0= 18.3.1= 18.3.1.1= 18.3.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Cisco SD-WAN software installation
    Log into the device CLI and run the command 'show version' or 'show sdwan version' to identify the installed software. Look for 'Cisco SD-WAN' or 'Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager' in the output.
    Affected if The system is running Cisco SD-WAN Software (now known as Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager)
  2. Check the installed software version
    Run 'show version' or 'show sdwan version' and locate the software version number in the output. Compare it against the affected versions: 17.2.4, 17.2.5, 17.2.6, 17.2.7, 17.2.8, 17.2.9, 17.2.10, 18.2.0, 18.3.0, 18.3.1, 18.3.1.1, 18.3.3
    Affected if The installed version exactly matches one of the listed affected versions
  3. Verify CLI access is available
    Confirm that command-line interface access is enabled on the device by attempting to access the CLI or checking configuration with 'show configuration' or 'show running-config' commands.
    Affected if CLI access is enabled and accessible to local users
  4. Confirm local authentication is configured
    Check for local user accounts on the device using 'show users' or by reviewing the authentication configuration. The vulnerability requires valid local credentials.
    Affected if Local user accounts or authentication methods are configured on the device

The environment is affected if the device runs Cisco SD-WAN Software version 17.2.4 through 18.3.3 (specifically any of the exact versions listed) and has CLI access with local authentication enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Cisco software updates that address this vulnerability; there are no available workarounds. Organizations should plan maintenance windows to test and deploy the vendor patch.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

17.2.8 or later in the 17.2.x line, or a newer stable 17.x/18.x/20.x release as per Cisco's official fixed release notes

  1. 1. Back up the current Cisco SD-WAN Manager configuration and ensure you have a verified restore procedure.
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade may require device restarts.
  3. 3. Download the fixed software version from Cisco (refer to Cisco SD-WAN release notes for the specific build).
  4. 4. Upload the software image to the SD-WAN Manager via the administration interface or CLI.
  5. 5. Initiate the upgrade process using the `request software install` command or via the web UI.
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade completes successfully and the system is operational.
  7. 7. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by checking the SD-WAN Manager version matches the fixed release.
Caveat Review Cisco SD-WAN release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between 17.2.x versions; some upgrades may require intermediate steps

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Catalyst Sd Wan Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-26071 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data