🛡️ CVE-2026-20272 — ios-xe

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

• Attack vector: Network — reachable from anywhere that can route to the service.
• Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
• Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
• User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
• Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
• Integrity impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
• Availability impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.

Weakness class

CVE-2026-20272 is classified as CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'). The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or…

Affected software

CVE-2026-20272 is recorded against 1 package.

• ios-xe

Timeline and source

Published on 5 August 2026 and last revised on 14 August 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com
www.cve.org

Other advisories for this package

ios-xe has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

• CVE-2026-20273 (8.6 High, published 5 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-20271 (8.6 High, published 5 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-20270 (8.6 High, published 5 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-20269 (8.6 High, published 5 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-20268 (8.6 High, published 5 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2026-20267 (9.0 Critical, published 5 Aug 2026)
• CVE-2025-20363 (9.0 Critical, published 25 Sep 2025)
• CVE-2025-20352 (7.7 High, published 24 Sep 2025)

Same weakness in other software

These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) in other software:

• CVE-2024-34062 (4.8 Medium, published 7 Jul 2026)
• CVE-2024-26020 (8.0 High, published 7 Jul 2026)
• CVE-2023-33234 (8.0 High, published 7 Jul 2026)
• CVE-2024-8862 (published 7 Jul 2026)
• CVE-2025-3163 (5.3 Medium, published 7 Jul 2026)
• CVE-2023-32785 (9.5 Critical, published 29 Jun 2026)
• CVE-2023-39661 (9.5 Critical, published 29 Jun 2026)
• CVE-2025-27511 (7.2 High, published 18 Jun 2026)

Details

Affected Packages

References