Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-20094

RCE in Cisco Unified Computing System 3.1\(1d\) … 6.0\(1.250194\)

Published
01 April 2026
Modified
28 August 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.011 65th percentile
Risk Priority 66 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2026-20094 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Cisco Unified Computing System. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 35% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-20094 is a command injection vulnerability (CWE-77) in the web-based management interface of Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC). The flaw arises from improper validation of user-supplied input, enabling an authenticated remote attacker with read-only privileges to perform command injection attacks. Published on 2026-04-01, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

An attacker with read-only access to the IMC web interface can exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted commands. Successful exploitation allows execution of arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with root user privileges, potentially leading to full system compromise including high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.

Mitigation details are available in the Cisco Security Advisory at https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-cimc-cmd-inj-3hKN3bVt. Security practitioners should consult this reference for patch information and workarounds applicable to affected IMC versions.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco IMC could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with read-only privileges to perform command injection attacks on an affected system and execute arbitrary commands as the root user. This vulnerability is due…

more

to improper validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted commands to the web-based management interface of the affected software. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system as the root user.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.008 Network Device CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse scripting or built-in command line interpreters (CLI) on network devices to execute malicious command and payloads.
T1059.012 Hypervisor CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse hypervisor command line interpreters (CLIs) to execute malicious commands.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-20095Same product: Cisco Unified Computing System
CVE-2026-20096Same product: Cisco Unified Computing System
CVE-2024-20365Same product: Cisco Unified Computing System
CVE-2026-20147Same vendor: Cisco
CVE-2025-20278Same vendor: Cisco
CVE-2026-20186Same vendor: Cisco
CVE-2023-20124Same vendor: Cisco
CVE-2016-6367Same vendor: Cisco
CVE-2026-20169Same vendor: Cisco
CVE-2023-20118Same vendor: Cisco

Affected Assets

cisco
unified computing system
3.1\(1d\), 3.1\(2b\), 3.1\(2c\), 3.1\(2d\), 3.1\(2e\)
cisco
unified computing system e-series software
2.0.0, 2.1.0, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.3.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation can discover command-construction flaws before deployment.

Input validation directly stops construction of commands from untrusted data containing special elements.

Secure engineering principles include proper neutralization and safe command construction practices.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

PR.PS-06 partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

finds

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

References