Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
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. Note: If the FMC management interface does not have public internet access, the attack surface that is associated with this vulnerability is reduced. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. This advisory is available at the following link: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-onprem-fmc-authbypass-5JPp45V2 This advisory is part of the March 2026 release of the Cisco Secure Firewall ASA, Secure FMC, and Secure FTD Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: March 2026 Semiannual Cisco Secure Firewall ASA, Secure FMC, and Secure FTD Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication . Security Impact Rating: Critical CVE: CVE-2026-20079
CSIRTS triage
- What
- A vulnerability allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to bypass authentication and gain root access.
- Who is affected
- Deployments of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software.
- Urgency
- Remediation is critical due to the potential for full system compromise.
- Action
- Apply the released software updates to mitigate this vulnerability.
AI-assisted analysis generated from the source advisory — verify against the original.
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Details
Exploitation outlook
EPSS (FIRST.org) estimates each CVE’s probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — here is the CSIRTS.com read on those numbers.
- Elevated exploitation riskCVE-2026-2007937.7% 30-day exploitation probability — well above the norm. Schedule remediation this cycle. Riskier than 98% of all scored CVEs.
Referenced CVEs
| CVE | CSIRTS overview | External |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-20079 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
Recent advisories for Cisco Secure Firewall
A cluster of recent advisories against the same product widens the attack surface — attackers routinely chain freshly published CVEs on one product, so review these together.
- highexploitedCisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software Static Credential Vulnerabilitycisco-psirt · 2026-07-31
- medium[NEW] [medium] Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center: Vulnerability allows information disclosurecert-bund · 2026-07-30
- unknownNCSC-2026-0271 [1.00] [M/H] Vulnerability fixed in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Centerncsc-nl · 2026-07-30
- unknownCisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software Information Disclosure Vulnerabilityhkcert · 2026-07-30
- mediumexploitedCVE-2026-20316: A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software…nvd · 2026-07-29
- criticalexploitedCVE-2026-20316: Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Use of Hard-coded Password Vulnerabilitycisa-kev · 2026-07-29
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