Full Report
AL26-012 - Critical vulnerability affecting Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN - CVE-2026-20182
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: Authentication Bypass in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
## CVE Details
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2026-20182
- **CVSS Score:** Critical (Specific numerical score not provided in text, but categorized as "Critical")
- **CWE:** CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)
## Affected Systems
- **Products:**
- Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller (formerly SD-WAN vSmart)
- Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (formerly SD-WAN vManage)
- **Versions:** Affected versions range from earlier than 20.9 up to 26.1 (see Remediation for specific versions).
- **Configurations:** All deployment types are affected, including On-Premise, Cloud-Pro, Cisco Managed, and FedRAMP environments. Systems accessible from the internet are at the highest risk.
## Vulnerability Description
A critical improper authentication vulnerability exists in the peering authentication process of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN components. The flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to bypass standard security checks during the peering process. If successfully exploited, the attacker can elevate their privileges to administrative or root levels, granting them full control over the affected system.
## Exploitation
- **Status:** Actively exploited in the wild.
- **Complexity:** Not explicitly stated, though the attack vector is remote.
- **Attack Vector:** Network (Remote)
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** Critical (Administrative access allows for data exfiltration)
- **Integrity:** Critical (Attackers can modify NETCONF configurations and add SSH keys for persistence)
- **Availability:** Critical (Total administrative control enables system disruption)
## Remediation
### Patches
Organizations should migrate to the following fixed versions:
- **Major Version 20.9:** Update to 20.9.9.1
- **Major Version 20.10/20.11:** Update to 20.12.7.1
- **Major Version 20.12:** Update to 20.12.5.4, 20.12.6.2, or 20.12.7.1
- **Major Version 20.13/20.14:** Update to 20.15.5.2
- **Major Version 20.15:** Update to 20.15.4.4 or 20.15.5.2
- **Major Version 20.16/20.18:** Update to 20.18.2.2
- **Major Version 26.1:** Update to 26.1.1.1
### Workarounds
The provided text does not list specific workarounds. Immediate patching is the recommended course of action due to active exploitation.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise:**
- Unauthorized addition of SSH keys.
- Unauthorized modifications to NETCONF configurations.
- Unexpected escalation to root privileges.
- **Detection methods and tools:**
- Review system logs for unusual peering requests or administrative configuration changes.
- Monitor for unauthorized administrative access to SD-WAN Controller and Manager interfaces.
## References
- Cisco Security Advisory (AV26-471): hxxps[://]www[.]cyber[.]gc[.]ca/en/alerts-advisories/cisco-security-advisory-av26-471
- CVE Record: hxxps[://]www[.]cve[.]org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-20182
- Cisco Remediation Guide: hxxps[://]www[.]cisco[.]com/c/en/us/support/docs/routers/sd-wan/225842-remediate-catalyst-sd-wan-security[.]html
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Alert AL26-012: hxxps[://]www[.]cyber[.]gc[.]ca/en/alerts-advisories/al26-012-critical-vulnerability-affecting-cisco-catalyst-sd-wan-cve-2026-20182