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OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2026-20036

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 and web-based management interface of Cisco UCS Manager Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with valid administrative privileges to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device.    This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of command arguments that are supplied by the user. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to a device and submitting crafted input to the affected command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device with root-level privileges.

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

Cisco UCS Manager Software contains an authenticated command injection vulnerability in its CLI and web-based management interface. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation of user-supplied command arguments, allowing an authenticated attacker with administrative privileges to execute arbitrary operating system commands with root-level privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided software update/patch from Cisco for UCS Manager. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for suspicious administrative sessions.

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

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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. Confirm Cisco UCS Manager is in use
    Identify if your environment runs Cisco UCS Manager software. Check for UCS Manager processes, management interfaces, or installed packages related to UCS. Look for UCS Manager-specific services on management ports.
    Affected if Cisco UCS Manager software is installed and running
  2. Determine installed UCS Manager version
    Access the UCS Manager CLI via console or SSH and run 'show version' or 'show inventory' to retrieve the software version. Alternatively, check via the web UI in the Admin section under Software Management.
    Affected if The installed version is older than the Cisco-published fixed version for CVE-2026-20036
  3. Verify administrative access is configured
    Check for local and remote administrative accounts configured in UCS Manager via 'show aaa local user' or through the web UI under Access Management > Users. Identify who has admin-level privileges.
    Affected if Administrative accounts exist in UCS Manager (the vulnerability requires authenticated admin access)
  4. Assess exposure of management interfaces
    Determine if the UCS Manager CLI (SSH/Telnet) or web UI (HTTPS) is accessible from network segments outside the trusted administrative network. Check firewall rules and access lists.
    Affected if CLI or web management interface is exposed to untrusted networks
  5. Review recent administrative sessions and commands
    Audit UCS Manager logs and command history for suspicious administrative activity. Use 'show log' or export logs from the web UI to review executed commands for anomalies.
    Affected if Unusual or unauthorized administrative commands appear in logs

You are affected if Cisco UCS Manager is running and the installed version predates the vendor patch for CVE-2026-20036, especially if the management interface is accessible to authenticated administrators.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided software update/patch from Cisco for UCS Manager. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for suspicious administrative sessions.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,880
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-20036 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