Vulnerability report

Exploited in the wild Confirmed confidence In CISA KEV

CVE-2026-20079

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Authentication Bypass

Cisco / Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) · 7.0.0

View live feed Monitor via API Watch CVE-2026-20079
Severity
CVSS 10.0 · Critical
Confidence
Confirmed
Exploit status
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
75.8%
First observed
—
Last observed
—

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2026-20079 is an unauthenticated vulnerability affecting Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC). A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could...

Is it exploited?

Yes. Previdian tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed. Listed in CISA KEV. Also confirmed by third-party sources.

Who is affected?

Cisco / Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.0.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Authentication Bypass

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. 

Vendor Product Affected Status
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.0 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.0.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.1.0 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.1.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.1.0.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.2 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.0 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.2.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.3 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.1.0.2 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.0.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.4 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.5 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.3.0 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.2 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.3.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.3 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.1.0.3 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.3.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.4 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.0.6 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.4.1 Affected
Cisco Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) 7.2.5 Affected
Published
04 Mar 2026
Exploitation Reported
09 Sep 2026
Attack vector
Remote
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None

Tags

edge cisa nuclei_scanner qilin ransomware malware

CVE References

Exploitation evidence

Why Previdian marks this CVE as exploited

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploited in the wild

Cisco Security Advisory

Recorded 09 Sep 2026

A trusted third party reported exploitation.

Used in qilin ransomware malware

Cisco Security Advisory

Recorded 11 Sep 2026

Malware families have been linked to exploitation of this CVE.

Proof of concept available

GitHub

Recorded 28 Mar 2026

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the Previdian Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access
Source Added
Cisco Talos Blog First 2026-09-09 16:08 UTC
Cisco Security Advisory 2026-09-09 17:11 UTC
CISA 2026-09-09 19:20 UTC
CVE 2026-09-09 20:01 UTC
BleepingComputer 2026-09-09 21:40 UTC
SOCRadar 2026-09-10 12:28 UTC
Rapid7 2026-09-11 13:35 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Observed signals

Request targets
User-Agents
Callback hosts
0
0
0

Request targets and User-Agents available in Pro. Callback host details available in Enterprise.

Virtual patch status

No Previdian virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner Reference Detected
Nuclei https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2026/CVE-2026-20079.yaml 01 Jun 2026

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

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

EPSS

75.8%

Weaknesses

Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel CWE-288

Recent mention · NCSC Security Advisories

NCSC-2026-0076 [1.03] [H/H] Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

Cisco heeft kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. De kwetsbaarheid met kenmerk CVE-2026-20079 bevindt zich in de webinterface van Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. Een ongeauthenticeerde externe kwaadwillende kan de authenticatiecontroles...

Read full advisory

All Mentions

Recent mention · NCSC Security Advisories

NCSC-2026-0076 [1.03] [H/H] Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

NCSC Security Advisories · 12 Sep 2026

Cisco heeft kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. De kwetsbaarheid met kenmerk CVE-2026-20079 bevindt zich in de webinterface van Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. Een ongeauthenticeerde externe kwaadwillende kan de authenticatiecontroles omzeilen door een onjuist systeemproces dat bij het opstarten is aangemaakt te misbruiken. De kwaadwillende kan deze kwetsbaarheid misbruiken door speciaal geprepareerde HTTP-verzoeken naar een getroffen apparaat te sturen. Een succesvolle exploit kan de aanvaller in staat stellen verschillende scripts en commando’s...

Recent mention · NCSC Security Advisories

NCSC-2026-0076 [1.02] [H/H] Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

NCSC Security Advisories · 11 Sep 2026

Cisco heeft kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. De kwetsbaarheid met kenmerk CVE-2026-20079 bevindt zich in de webinterface van Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center. Een ongeauthenticeerde externe kwaadwillende kan de authenticatiecontroles omzeilen door een onjuist systeemproces dat bij het opstarten is aangemaakt te misbruiken. De kwaadwillende kan deze kwetsbaarheid misbruiken door speciaal geprepareerde HTTP-verzoeken naar een getroffen apparaat te sturen. Een succesvolle exploit kan de aanvaller in staat stellen verschillende scripts en commando’s...

Recent mention · Rapid7

Metasploit Wrap Up: This One Goes to Sixteen!

Rapid7 · 11 Sep 2026

This One Goes to Sixteen!Another banger from Metasploit with sixteen new modules, including ten exploit modules, with five on the CISA KEV list. Cisco, Papercut, Sonicwall, Jetbrains, and Langflow all have exploit modules, and not to be outdone, we even have a Metasploit scanner to watch the watchers!New module content (16)Elasticsearch ingest-attachment Apache Tika XFA XXE Local File ReadAuthors: Bourbon Offensive Security Services and Jean-Marie BourbonType: AuxiliaryPull request: #21739 contributed by kmkzPath: scanner/http/elasticsearch_tika_xfa_xxeCVE...

Recent mention · TheHackerNews

Cisco FMC Flaws Exploited to Steal Credentials and Deploy Qilin Ransomware

TheHackerNews · 11 Sep 2026

Cisco has revealed that three distinct threat clusters linked to ransomware and state-sponsored attacks have been exploiting two recently patched Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) vulnerabilities. The attacks leverage CVE-2026-20079 (CVSS score: 10.0), an authentication bypass vulnerability in the web interface of FMC software that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass

Recent mention · Cisco Talos Blog

We've got one word for it, and it's usually the wrong one

Cisco Talos Blog · 10 Sep 2026

In this week's Threat Source newsletter, Joe explores why the word "burnout" often fails to capture the true toll of working in the cybersecurity industry and why we need better language to address it.

Recent mention · SOCRadar

Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20079 Actively Exploited

SOCRadar · 10 Sep 2026

Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20079 Actively Exploited Cisco has confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2026-20079 , a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) with a maximum CVSS

Recent mention · TheHackerNews

CISA Flags Exploited Cisco, Citrix, Fortinet Flaws, Sets Sept. 12 Federal Patch Deadline

TheHackerNews · 10 Sep 2026

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Wednesday added three flaws, each impacting Cisco, Citrix, and Fortinet, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to apply the patches by September 12, 2026. The vulnerabilities are listed below - CVE-2026-20079 (CVSS score: 10.0) - An authentication

Recent mention · BleepingComputer

Cisco confirms CVE-2026-20079 Secure FMC flaw exploited in attacks

BleepingComputer · 09 Sep 2026

Cisco has confirmed that a maximum-severity authentication bypass vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-20079 in its Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) software is being actively exploited in attacks. [...]

Recent mention · Cisco Talos Blog

Active exploitation of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vulnerabilities

Cisco Talos Blog · 09 Sep 2026

Cisco Talos is actively tracking the exploitation of two vulnerabilities in Cisco’s Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software.

Recent mention · Cisco Security Advisory

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Cisco Security Advisory · 31 Jul 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 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...

Recent mention · Cisco Security Advisory

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Cisco Security Advisory · 29 Jul 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 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...

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

CyberAuth/CVE-2026-20079

github · Created 2026-08-17 18:36:35 UTC · 0 stars · AI assessment 90%

Python proof of concept for CVE-2026-20079 affecting Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center.

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center - Authentication Bypass

nuclei · Created Unknown

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation

  1. Used in qilin ransomware malware

    Exploit observed in malware

  2. KEV confirmed by Rapid7

    Exploitation attested by an external source

  3. KEV confirmed by SOCRadar

    Exploitation attested by an external source

  4. KEV confirmed by BleepingComputer

    Exploitation attested by an external source

  5. KEV confirmed by CVE

    Exploitation attested by an external source

  6. Added to CISA KEV

    Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

  7. KEV confirmed by Cisco Security Advisory

    Exploitation attested by an external source

  8. Added to Previdian KEV Feed

    High-confidence, third-party attested exploitation

  9. Public PoC available

    Public proof-of-concept code published

  10. Nuclei template available

    Scanner coverage available

  11. CVE published

    Vulnerability disclosed publicly

  12. CVE ID reserved

    Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

Automate this intelligence

Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

View Pro pricing Read API docs
  • Evidence confidence and provenance
  • First-party sensor telemetry
  • PoC and scanner references
  • Affected versions and enrichment
  • Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2026-20079

Free JSON includes basic KEV fields 
{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2026-20079",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 10.0,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.75752,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}