CVE-2026-20182: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authentication Bypass, actively exploited

Description

May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and fixed after the was disclosed in February 2026. This new advisory is for a new vulnerability in the control connection handshaking. The section of this advisory includes Show Control Connections guidance to help with system checks.  A vulnerability in the peering authentication in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, formerly SD-WAN vSmart, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, formerly SD-WAN vManage, and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator, formerly SD-WAN vBond, could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and obtain administrative privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability exists because the peering authentication mechanism in an affected system is not working properly. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted requests to the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to an affected Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller as an internal, high-privileged, non-root user account. Using this account, the attacker could access NETCONF, which would then allow the attacker to manipulate network configuration for the SD-WAN fabric.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionNone

ScopeChanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Affected products

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager≥ 20.10 < 20.12.5.4 · ≥ 20.12.6 < 20.12.6.2 · ≥ 20.13 < 20.15.4.4 · ≥ 20.15.5 < 20.15.5.2

Cisco SD-WAN Vbond Orchestrator≥ 20.10 < 20.12.5.4 · ≥ 20.12.6 < 20.12.6.2 · ≥ 20.13 < 20.15.4.4 · ≥ 20.15.5 < 20.15.5.2

Cisco SD-WAN Vsmart Controller≥ 20.10 < 20.12.5.4 · ≥ 20.12.6 < 20.12.6.2 · ≥ 20.13 < 20.15.4.4 · ≥ 20.15.5 < 20.15.5.2

Remediation

Fixed in

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager≥ 20.12.5.4

Cisco SD-WAN Vbond Orchestrator≥ 20.12.5.4

Cisco SD-WAN Vsmart Controller≥ 20.12.5.4

Patch & vendor advisories

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SW

References

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa2-v69WY2SWVendor Advisory
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-rpa-EHchtZkNot Applicable
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20182US Government Resource

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-20182 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2026-20182 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 14 May 2026.

How severe is CVE-2026-20182?

CVE-2026-20182 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0, rated critical. EPSS estimates a 91.8% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-20182?

Affected products include Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, Cisco SD-WAN Vbond Orchestrator, Cisco SD-WAN Vsmart Controller.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20182?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager 20.12.5.4, Cisco SD-WAN Vbond Orchestrator 20.12.5.4, Cisco SD-WAN Vsmart Controller 20.12.5.4 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-20182 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. 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, Secuno flags any affected asset as top-priority automatically. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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