CVE-2026-20110 Privilege escalation in Cisco IOS XE Software
A low-privileged local attacker can exploit incorrect privilege checks in the CLI to trigger maintenance mode, causing a denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-20110?
CVE-2026-20110 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability exists because incorrect privileges are associated with the start maintenance command. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the management CLI of the affected device as a low-privileged user and using the start maintenance command. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to put the device in maintenance mode, which shuts down interfaces, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. In case of exploitation, a device administrator can connect to the CLI and use the stop maintenance command to restore operations.
Weakness: CWE-266
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20110?
How do I fix CVE-2026-20110?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20110 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-20110 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20110 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-5hv6-p93j-6mjg.