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CVE-2026-20045

Cisco Unified Communications Products Code Injection

8.2 HIGHActively exploited (CISA KEV)EPSS 4.54%
  1. Published21 Jan 2026
  2. Added to CISA KEV21 Jan 2026
  3. Remediation due11 Feb 2026
Actively exploited (CISA KEV)

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P), Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance contain a code injection vulnerability that could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root.

Added to KEV: 21 Jan 2026Federal remediation due: 11 Feb 2026

Description

A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P), Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device.  This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a sequence of crafted HTTP requests to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root.  Note: Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of Critical rather than High as the score indicates. The reason is that exploitation of this vulnerability could result in an attacker elevating privileges to root.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N

Affected products

Cisco Unified Communications Manager≥ 12.5 < 14su5 · ≥ 15.0 ≤ 15su3a
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Im And Presence Service≥ 12.5 < 14su5 · ≥ 15.0 ≤ 15su3a
Cisco Unity Connection≥ 12.5 < 14su5 · ≥ 15.0 ≤ 15su3

Remediation

Fixed in
Cisco Unified Communications Manager≥ 14su5
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Im And Presence Service≥ 14su5
Cisco Unity Connection≥ 14su5

References

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Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-20045 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2026-20045 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 21 Jan 2026.

How severe is CVE-2026-20045?

CVE-2026-20045 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated high. EPSS estimates a 4.54% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-20045?

Affected products include Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Im And Presence Service, Cisco Unity Connection.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20045?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Cisco Unified Communications Manager 14su5, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Im And Presence Service 14su5, Cisco Unity Connection 14su5 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-20045 against the real software inventory on every managed device, as each hourly inventory arrives. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, a risk for it never ranks below high, and the update that fixes it moves to the Emergency patch lane. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.