Cisco Unified Communications Products Code Injection Vulnerability
Cisco — Cisco Unified Communications Manager
A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P), Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a sequence of crafted HTTP requests to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root. Note: Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of Critical rather than High as the score indicates. The reason is that exploitation of this vulnerability could result in an attacker elevating privileges to root.
8.2
4.3%
Vector breakdown
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
- Published
- Jan 21, 2026
- Modified
- Feb 26, 2026
- Added to KEV
- Jan 21, 2026
- Federal patch due
- Feb 11, 2026
CISA required action
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Weakness classification
Proof-of-concept & exploitation references
Weaponization
Public repositories whose name or description references CVE-2026-20045, found via a live GitHub search at request time. These are community-sourced signals, not a verified working exploit - cross-check each one before relying on it, and treat higher star counts and recent activity as (weak) corroboration, not proof.
No public GitHub repositories referencing CVE-2026-20045 were found at last check. Absence here is not proof no exploit exists - see the references below for vendor advisories and write-ups.
References
Frequently asked questions
What is CVE-2026-20045?
A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P), Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a sequence of crafted HTTP requests to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root. Note: Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of Critical rather than High as the score indicates. The reason is that exploitation of this vulnerability could result in an attacker elevating privileges to root.
How severe is CVE-2026-20045?
CVE-2026-20045 has a CVSS base score of 8.2 out of 10 (CVSS 3.1).
Is CVE-2026-20045 actively exploited in the wild?
Yes. CVE-2026-20045 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added Jan 21, 2026, meaning CISA has confirmed evidence of active exploitation.
What is the EPSS score for CVE-2026-20045?
4.3% - meaning FIRST.org's EPSS model estimates a 4.3% probability this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within 30 days (90% percentile among all scored CVEs).
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-20045?
CVE-2026-20045 is classified under CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')).
Cross-checked against
Impactr finds and proves whether CVE-2026-20045 - or flaws like it - are actually reachable in your own web apps and APIs, with a reproducible exploit as evidence.
Join the waitlist