CVE-2026-20182: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN exploited

Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.

What it is

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.

Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by cisco, published 2026-05-14).

Weakness: Improper Authentication

How it can be exploited

Exploitable over the network with low attack complexity needing no privileges and no user interaction. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA assesses exploitation as active. Automatable: yes. Technical impact: total.

On CISA KEV since: 2026-05-14
US federal deadline: 2026-05-17
Ransomware use: Not known

Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)

Also known as: BDU:2026-06823, EUVD-2026-30324, GHSA-p83j-mxpw-gqpj

VEDAS cluster: VEDAS:FREEDOMFLORA

Exploit Observer links 4 pieces of public exploit code or detection modules that name this CVE or one of its aliases.

Exploit code and modules (4)

Code that names this CVE. A repository can be a working exploit, a scanner, a fake or malware; read it before running anything.

Nuclei template: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/main/code/cves/2026/CVE-2026-20182.yaml
Code repository: https://github.com/fangbarristerbar/cve-2026-20182-poc
Code repository: https://github.com/nxploited/cve-2026-20182
Code repository: https://github.com/portbuster1337/cve-2026-20182

Vulnerability databases and vendor advisories (4)

Catalogue entries, not exploit evidence.

Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/enisa/EUVD-2026-30324
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-p83j-mxpw-gqpj
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20182
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20182

News (1)

News: https://www.techgines.com/post/cve-2026-20182-the-cvss-10-0-flaw-that-hands-attackers-the-keys-to-your-entire-sd-wan-fabric

10 more references returned by Exploit Observer did not name this CVE or an alias, so they are left out.

VEDAS data as of 2026-11-01T17:12 UTC; fetched 2026-11-02.

Live scores

EPSS: 0.918
very likely to be attacked soon
VEDAS: 0.985
strong exploit evidence
On CISA KEV: Yes, since 2026-05-14
Detection rule: None yet

EPSS (chance of attack)

VEDAS (exploit evidence)

Thin horizontal line: the “likely” (EPSS 0.10) or “strong” (VEDAS 0.90) threshold. Shaded “no data” areas are periods when cve-scores did not publish.

Who is affected

Product	Affected	Not affected
Cisco Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller	version 20.6.4 version 20.9.2 version 20.3.6 version 20.7.2 version 20.7.1 version 20.5.1 version 20.6.2 version 19.3.0 and 121 more ranges	Not stated
Cisco Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager	version 20.1.12 version 19.2.1 version 18.4.4 version 18.4.5 version 20.1.1.1 version 20.1.1 version 19.2.099 version 18.3.6 and 26 more ranges	Not stated

Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.

Exploit Observer also maps it to: cisco catalyst_sd-wan_manager, cisco sd-wan_vbond_orchestrator, cisco sd-wan_vsmart_controller, cisco_systems,_inc. catalyst_sd-wan_manager, cisco_systems,_inc. cisco_catalyst_sd-wan_controller.

How to fix it

CISA required action: Please adhere to CISA’s guidelines to assess exposure and mitigate risks associated with Cisco SD-WAN devices as outlined in CISA’s Emergency Directive 26-03 (URL listed below in Notes) and CISA’s Hunt & Hardening Guidance for Cisco SD-WAN Devices (URL listed below in Notes). Adhere to the applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are not available.

Vendor guidance:

How to detect it

There is no open VEDAS detection rule for this bug yet. It is listed on the detection gaps page if CISA has confirmed attacks.

Advisories on this CVE

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN auth bypass (CVE-2026-20127, then CVE-2026-20122 / -20128 / -20182 / -20133) (14 May 2026)

References

Government sources

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20182 (government-resource)

Other references

Other databases

Where this comes from

This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, CISA KEV, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.

CVE-2026-20182: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller Authentication Bypass Vulnerability