CVE-2026-20096
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco IMC could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with admin-level privileges to perform command injection attacks on an affected system and execute arbitrary commands as the root user. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted commands to the web-based management interface of the affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system as the root user. Cisco has assigned this vulnerability a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of High, rather than Medium as the score indicates, because additional security implications could occur once the attacker has become root.
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 confidenceThis is a command injection vulnerability in Cisco IMC (Integrated Management Controller) web-based management interface. An authenticated attacker with admin-level privileges can inject arbitrary OS commands through improper validation of user-supplied input, achieving root-level code execution on the underlying operating system.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify if Cisco IMC is runningAccess the host's IPMI/BMC web interface on the typical ports (443 or 80) or check if the Cisco IMC service is running using 'ipmitool mc info' or checking process list for imc-related processesAffected if Cisco IMC web interface is accessible and responds
-
Determine the Cisco IMC versionLog into the Cisco IMC web interface and navigate to the About or Firmware version page, or use CLI: 'ipmitool mc info' or connect via IPMI and check firmware versionAffected if Installed version matches or falls within an affected version range (contact Cisco for specific affected versions since none provided)
-
Verify admin-level user accounts existCheck Cisco IMC user management via web UI under User Management/Administration, or query user list via IPMI: 'ipmitool user list'Affected if Admin-level accounts are configured and enabled on the IMC interface
-
Inspect IMC logs for anomalous command activityAccess Cisco IMC logs via web UI under Logs/IMC Logs, or via CLI 'ipmitool sel elist', looking for unexpected or suspicious commands executed through the web interfaceAffected if Logs show commands that were not initiated by legitimate administrators or show command injection patterns
-
Check network exposure of IMC interfaceReview network access controls, firewall rules, or IPMI network configuration to determine if IMC web interface is accessible from untrusted networksAffected if IMC web interface is exposed to untrusted or external networks rather than being limited to trusted management networks
You are affected if Cisco IMC is running and accessible with admin-level accounts, particularly if exposed to untrusted networks or if logs show anomalous command activity.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply Cisco's patch when available; until then, restrict admin-level access to trusted networks only and monitor for anomalous command activity in IMC logs.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,464.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20096 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-20096 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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