Skip to main content
Meet us at Black Hat USA 2026— Las Vegas, August 1–6Book a Meeting
Mallory
MediumCISA KEVExploited in the wildPublic exploit

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Arbitrary File Write Vulnerability

IdentifiersCVE-2026-20262CWE-22· Improper Limitation of a Pathname…

CVE-2026-20262 is an authenticated remote arbitrary file write vulnerability in the web UI of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, formerly SD-WAN vManage. The flaw exists because the software does not properly validate user-supplied input during a file upload process, enabling directory/path traversal behavior via a crafted HTTP request to an affected API endpoint. A successful exploit allows the attacker to create a file or overwrite any file on the filesystem of the underlying operating system. Cisco and multiple reports indicate the written file can subsequently be leveraged for privilege escalation, including escalation to root. Public reporting also notes observed post-exploitation activity involving malicious .war uploads and deployment through the embedded WildFly application server.

Share:
For your environment

Are you exposed to this one?

Mallory correlates every CVE against your assets, your vendors, and active adversary campaigns. Know which vulnerabilities matter for you, not just which ones are loud.

ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation gives an authenticated remote attacker arbitrary file creation/overwrite capability on the affected system with high integrity impact. This can be used to modify application or system files, deploy malicious payloads such as JSP/WAR web shells, establish persistence, and ultimately facilitate privilege escalation to root on the underlying operating system. Because Catalyst SD-WAN Manager is the centralized management plane for SD-WAN environments, compromise can also create downstream risk to managed infrastructure, configurations, certificates, and device administration. Cisco has stated the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

No workaround is identified in the provided content. Interim risk reduction measures mentioned in reporting include restricting or removing unnecessary internet exposure of the management interface, limiting access via VPNs, jump hosts, or dedicated management segments, firewalling administrative access, minimizing accounts with write or administrative privileges, and monitoring for suspicious API activity, unexpected file uploads, .war or index.jsp deployment artifacts, and unusual login locations. These measures reduce exposure but do not replace patching.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager to a fixed release. The provided content identifies fixed versions including 20.9.9.2, 20.12.7.2, 20.15.4.5, 20.15.5.3, 20.18.3.1, and 26.1.1.2, depending on the deployed release train. Cisco strongly recommends upgrading immediately. If compromise is suspected, review relevant logs for indicators of malicious file upload and follow-on execution, including /var/log/nms/vmanage-server.log, vmanage-appserver logs, and serviceproxy-access logs, and engage Cisco incident response/TAC processes as appropriate.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos (1 hidden).

VALID 1 / 2 TOTALView more in app
CVE-2026-20262-Cisco-Catalyst-SD-WAN-Manager-Arbitrary-File-Write-MaturityPoCVerified exploit

This repository contains a standalone Python proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2026-20262 affecting Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (vManage), plus a small Bash verification script and supporting documentation. The main exploit file, CVE-2026-20262.py, authenticates to the target web interface via /j_security_check, extracts a CSRF token/session state, and then abuses the AnyConnect profile upload endpoint /dataservice/settings/sdra/anyconnect/profile by placing a path traversal sequence in the multipart filename field. Its core capability is authenticated arbitrary file write on the underlying system. The exploit is operational rather than framework-based: it accepts a target URL, username, password, local file path, and attacker-chosen remote path, then uploads the local file contents to that remote location. The script also includes an optional verification step using /dataservice/file/read?path=... to test whether the file is accessible after upload. The repository documentation describes likely abuse paths such as dropping a malicious WAR into /var/lib/wildfly/standalone/deployments/ for probable server-side code execution, overwriting nginx configuration under /etc/nginx/conf.d/, or writing scripts into privileged directories. Additional files include README.md and NOTAS with vulnerability context, impact, and IOC guidance, an 'Ejecución Básica' usage note with example commands, and 'Script de Verificación Rápida', a Bash helper that queries /dataservice/version to identify potentially vulnerable versions. Overall, this is a real exploit repository centered on authenticated web-based path traversal leading to arbitrary file write, with clear post-exploitation potential but no embedded reverse shell or automated second-stage payload.

fevar54Disclosed Jun 17, 2026pythonbashwebnetwork
EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
Cisco SystemsCatalyst SD-WAN Managerapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

132 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

the hacker newsNews
Jun 24, 2026
Cisco Unified CM Flaw Exploited After PoC Reveals File-Write Path to Root

A medium-severity security flaw affecting Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager that is reported as being actively exploited in the wild.

Read more
xakepNews
Jun 19, 2026
Cisco патчит уязвимость нулевого дня в SD-WAN - Хакер

Уязвимость в Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, связанная с некорректной проверкой пользовательских данных при загрузке файлов, позволяла аутентифицированному пользователю с правами записи создать или перезаписать произвольный файл через уязвимый API, что затем могло привести к повышению привилегий до root и полному захвату системы.

Read more
malware newsNews
Jun 16, 2026
Cisco security advisory (AV26-602) - Malware News - Malware Analysis, News and Indicators

An arbitrary file write vulnerability affecting Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager across multiple versions and all deployment types. It is significant because Cisco is aware of exploitation and CISA added it to the KEV catalog.

Read more
ca ccsNews
Jun 16, 2026
Cisco security advisory (AV26-602) - Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

An arbitrary file write vulnerability affecting Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager across multiple versions and all deployment types. It is significant because Cisco states it is aware of exploitation, and CISA added it to the KEV catalog.

Read more
What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.
Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware2

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures1

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity110

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.