CVE-2026-20332

Cisco Secure Adaptive Security Appliance Software, Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software and Secure Firewall Management Center Software Hardening Release - Improper Access Control Vulnerabilities

Public exploit available. Not confirmed exploited in the wild yet. No fix published yet.

CVSS 3.19.9Critical EPSS percentile20th0.3% chance in 30 days CISA KEVNot listedNo confirmed exploitation
Public exploit: 0 sources FixNone yetNo fix or workaround published

Published 2026-09-16Updated 2026-09-18Sources: CVE.org, NVD

NVD CVE.org

What to do

No fixed build or workaround is published yet. Limit exposure and watch for a patch.

Steps

Written by AI from the record

Identify whether you run Cisco Secure Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software, or Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software.
Ask your Cisco support contact or IT provider whether your installed release is covered by CVE-2026-20332; no fixed version has been published in the available information.
Restrict management access to trusted administrators and networks until Cisco provides remediation.
Review administrator accounts and recent firewall or management-setting changes for anything unexpected.

May need vendor or contractor work

Is your organisation exposed?Request an assessment to establish which checks fit your systems.

What it is

From the CVE record

As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco Secure Adaptive Security Appliance Software, Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Software engineering team has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in a software hardening release that addresses multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities.   The vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-20332 are related to improper access control issues that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Pillar CWE-284.

In plain language

Written by AI from the record

This is a critical security flaw in Cisco firewall software with a public attack tool available; affected businesses should act urgently, although a fixed version is not yet known.

Improper access control vulnerabilities in Cisco Secure Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software, and Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software may let a logged-in attacker bypass intended permissions and compromise connected systems.

If you're affected

Firewall management takeover
Network security controls changed
Sensitive data exposure
Service disruption
Broader network compromise

What is it

This is a weakness in controls that should limit what an approved user can do. It is like giving someone with a staff key access to rooms that should require a manager’s key, allowing them to change security settings or reach protected information.

Who is affected

This matters if you run Cisco Secure Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software, or Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software. It is especially relevant where people can sign in to manage firewall or security settings. The available information indicates an attacker must already have a login.

How urgent is it

A public exploit is available, meaning attackers have a ready-made way to target this weakness. Treat this as urgent because a successful attack can give a logged-in attacker far more control than they should have. Limit management access and obtain Cisco-specific remediation guidance now.

What to do — in detail

Confirm exposure by inventorying deployed ASA, FTD, and FMC systems, their software releases, and every management interface or administrator account. No fixed versions or supported upgrade paths are available in the findings, so obtain the applicable Cisco hardening release guidance from Cisco support before making version changes.

Until remediation is available, restrict management interfaces to a dedicated administrator network, remove unnecessary administrator accounts, require strong administrator authentication, and review recent configuration, account, and policy changes. Watch for unexpected administrator logins, new accounts, altered access-control policies, and unplanned firewall configuration changes.

CISA KEV does not list this CVE, so there is no CISA remediation due date in the available information.

Technical context

CVE-2026-20332 is rated CVSS 9.9 Critical (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H). It concerns improper access control (CWE-284), is network-reachable, requires low privileges, and needs no user interaction; successful exploitation can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability beyond the initial security scope. A public exploit is available, but CISA KEV does not list the CVE and the findings do not confirm exploitation in the wild. EPSS is 0.3% (23rd percentile) with a flat trend.

This is a general assessment based on public vulnerability data. It does not account for your specific infrastructure — when in doubt, consult a security specialist.

Exploitation

Where each signal puts this CVE on the scale from published to confirmed exploited.

EPSS20th

Public exploit

CISA KEV

Not in the catalog. CISA has not confirmed exploitation.

Public exploits

0 sources with a proof of concept or module.

Exploit links, PoCs and Metasploit modules after sign-in

EPSS

0.3% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the 20th percentile of scored CVEs.

Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST.org. A probability, not a confirmation.

Lifecycle

7 events over 2 days, from the signal feeds we watch.

2026-09-18Record updatedrecord updated
2026-09-17Record updatedrecord updated
2026-09-16Publishedweakness classified, record updated

Affected products

Ciscocommercial · USaka cisco systems, cisco systems inc.

Technical detail

CVSS 3.1 vector

Open in the CVSS calculator

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

Scored 9.9 by NVD.

How it is reached

Attack Vector NetworkExploitable remotely over the network without any special conditions
Attack Complexity LowNo special conditions — the attack can be reliably reproduced
Privileges Required LowRequires basic user-level privileges
User Interaction NoneNo user interaction needed — fully automated exploitation

Scope

Scope ChangedThe exploit can affect other components (e.g. sandbox escape, host compromise from VM)

Impact if exploited

Confidentiality HighTotal information disclosure — all data in the component is compromised
Integrity HighTotal loss of integrity — attacker can modify any data in the component
Availability HighTotal denial of service — the component is completely unavailable

Weaknesses

CWE-284No name in the record

Sources

References in the record

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-hardening-asaftdfmc-uvpPROhN

In the news

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