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Iot Field Network DirectorApplication · Cisco

CVE-2026-20168

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Developing Published 2026-05-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.0-117 or later.
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 web-based management interface of Cisco IoT Field Network Director could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with low privileges to retrieve files that they do not have permission to access. This vulnerability is due to insufficient file access checks. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted input in the web-based management interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read files that they are not authorized to access.

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 · low confidence
Developing — this CVE was published recently and its authoritative NVD entry is still being established, so we're holding a technical summary until the source data settles rather than publish something unreliable. Re-checking after 2026-07-30.

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
Iot Field Network DirectorApplication
Affected:< 5.0.0-117

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.0.0-117 or later
Fixed in 5.0.0-117
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Cisco IoT Field Network Director version 5.0.0-117 or later

  1. 1. Access the Cisco IoT Field Network Director administration interface.
  2. 2. Navigate to the system settings or about section to identify the currently installed version.
  3. 3. If the current version is below 5.0.0-117, initiate an upgrade to version 5.0.0-117 or a later stable release.
  4. 4. Download the upgrade package from the Cisco software download center (software.cisco.com) or use the built-in update mechanism.
  5. 5. Apply the upgrade following the standard Cisco upgrade procedures for IoT Field Network Director.
  6. 6. After upgrade completion, verify the new version is 5.0.0-117 or higher.
  7. 7. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by attempting to verify the file access checks are now enforced properly (or wait for scheduled security validation).
Caveat No breaking changes expected for this security patch upgrade; standard upgrade procedures apply

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

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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-2026-20168 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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