A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute script files on an affected device to obtain root access to the underlying operating system. This vulnerability is due to an improper system process that is created at boot time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute a variety of scripts and commands that allow root access to the device.
CVE-2026-20079
CRITICALPre-NVD 10.010.0—Trending — 3 sources updated this weekElevated
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence
Score 10.0 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: CRITICAL) published 2026-03-04. the CNA's CVSS baseline 10.0; sources differ by 0.0.
Triggered by: GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
Sources: cna:cisco, ghsa
10.0EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 39%CVSS: 10.0Exploit: Elevated riskExposed: 0
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 10.0
- EG Score
- 10.0(medium)
- EG Risk
- 76(Track)EG Risk 76/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity100% × 45%Exploitation40% × 40%Automatability100% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 39%
- EPSS %ILE
- 98%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
March 4, 2026
Last Modified
June 17, 2026
Advisory Details (1)
Auto-updated Jul 27, 2026No patch confirmed yet.
generic
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-onprem-fmc-authbypass-5JPp45V2Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-20079(1)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 3× in last 7d / 3× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-27 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-27 12:54 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-27 12:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain. Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Nucleihttp/cves/2026/CVE-2026-20079.yamlFirst seen Jan 1, 2026
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center - Authentication Bypass
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2026-20079?
CVE-2026-20079 is a critical vulnerability published on March 4, 2026. A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute script files on an affected device to obtain root access to the underlying operating system. This vulnerability is due…
When was CVE-2026-20079 disclosed?
CVE-2026-20079 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on March 4, 2026, with the most recent update on June 17, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2026-20079 actively exploited?
CVE-2026-20079 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 39% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 1.6% of all scored CVEs.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-20079?
CVE-2026-20079 has a CVSS v3 base score of 10.0 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2026-20079?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2026-20079, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2026-20079
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2026-20079?
EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.