Cisco flags ongoing exploitation of two recently patched Catalyst SD

CVE-2022-20775 is a path traversal and improper access control flaw (CWE-22/CWE-25) in the CLI of Cisco SD-WAN Software that allows an authenticated, local attacker to gain elevated privileges. An attacker triggers it by running a maliciously crafted command in the application CLI, abusing weak access controls on CLI commands. A successful exploit yields arbitrary command execution as the root user, giving full control of the affected SD-WAN component. Organizations running Cisco SD-WAN / Catalyst SD-WAN components — SD-WAN Manager, vBond Orchestrator, vSmart Controller, and vEdge Cloud routers — are affected. The flaw is now being actively exploited: it was added to the CISA KEV catalog on 2026-02-25, prompting CISA Emergency Directive 26-03 and joint Five Eyes 'Hunt & Hardening' guidance, a public proof-of-concept exists, and EPSS estimates a 12.5% chance of exploitation within 30 days (96th percentile).

Do: Upgrade affected SD-WAN components — Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, vBond Orchestrator, vSmart Controller, and vEdge Cloud — to the fixed releases listed in Cisco advisory cisco-sa-sd-wan-priv-E6e8tEdF, as there are no workarounds. Restrict CLI access to trusted administrators, review local accounts for unexpected additions or changes, and hunt for signs of compromise per CISA Emergency Directive 26-03 and CISA's Hunt & Hardening Guidance for Cisco SD-WAN Devices. If patched software or cloud-service mitigations are unavailable, follow BOD 22-01 guidance and consider discontinuing use of the affected components.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (the platform formerly known as vManage) contains an incorrect use of privileged APIs flaw (CWE-648) stemming from improper file handling on its API interface. An attacker exploits it by uploading a malicious file through the API interface onto the local file system of an affected system. A successful exploit allows the attacker to overwrite arbitrary files on the system and gain vmanage user privileges, which typically means administrative control of the SD-WAN management plane. Any organization running Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, whether on-premises appliances or virtual instances managing an SD-WAN overlay or instances hosted in Cisco's cloud, is potentially affected; CISA has not published affected version ranges or a CVSS score, and the flaw was disclosed alongside other Cisco product vulnerabilities. The vulnerability was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-20, indicating exploitation in the wild, EPSS estimates a 24.6% probability of exploitation within 30 days (98th percentile), no public proof-of-concept is known, and ransomware use is unknown.

Do: Follow CISA's Emergency Directive 26-03 and the Hunt & Hardening Guidance for Cisco SD-WAN Devices to identify exposed SD-WAN Manager instances and hunt for signs of exploitation, and prioritize applying the fixed releases cited in Cisco's advisory once version ranges are published. Until patched, restrict and monitor access to the SD-WAN Manager API interface; organizations using Cisco's cloud-hosted SD-WAN service should adhere to the applicable BOD 22-01 cloud guidance or discontinue use if mitigations are unavailable.

A flaw in the peering authentication mechanism of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller (formerly vSmart), Manager (formerly vManage), and Validator (formerly vBond) allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication by sending crafted requests to an affected system. A successful exploit grants the attacker access as an internal, high-privileged, non-root user on the SD-WAN Controller, from which they can reach NETCONF and manipulate the network configuration of the entire SD-WAN fabric. Any organization operating these Cisco SD-WAN control-plane components is affected, and the critical CVSS 10.0 score reflects full network scope with no privileges or user interaction required. The flaw is confirmed exploited in the wild: CISA added it to the KEV on 2026-02-25, Cisco has confirmed active exploitation (including a compromise of a communications service provider), and Five Eyes allies have issued an active-exploitation warning, with EPSS at 88.2% (100th percentile).

Do: Upgrade affected Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Manager, and Validator components per Cisco's PSIRT advisory (fixed versions are not specified in this data), and prioritize patching given confirmed in-the-wild exploitation. Follow CISA Emergency Directive 26-03 and the CISA Hunt & Hardening Guidance for Cisco SD-WAN Devices: hunt for compromise indicators such as unexpected high-privileged non-root logins and unauthorized NETCONF configuration changes, and restrict internet exposure of SD-WAN management interfaces. Where mitigations are unavailable, adhere to applicable BOD 22-01 cloud guidance or discontinue use of the product.

CVE-2026-20128 is a password-storage flaw (CWE-257, Storing Passwords in a Recoverable Format) in the Data Collection Agent (DCA) feature of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, which leaves a credential file containing the DCA user password on affected systems. An unauthenticated, remote attacker can send a crafted HTTP request to read that file and recover the DCA password. With the recovered credentials, the attacker can access another affected system and gain DCA user privileges, enabling chained compromise across SD-WAN management infrastructure. Organizations running Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager releases earlier than 20.18 are affected; releases 20.18 and later are not. The flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-20, indicating exploitation in the wild, with an EPSS 30-day exploitation probability of 6.9% (94th percentile); no public proof-of-concept is known, and CISA has issued Emergency Directive 26-03 and hunt-and-hardening guidance for Cisco SD-WAN devices.

Do: Upgrade Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager to release 20.18 or later, which is not affected. In the meantime, follow CISA's Emergency Directive 26-03 and the 'Hunt & Hardening Guidance for Cisco SD-WAN Devices' to assess exposure, hunt for crafted HTTP requests reading the DCA credential file, and rotate DCA credentials on affected systems; if you use affected cloud-service offerings and mitigations are unavailable, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance or discontinue use.