CVE-2026-20160 Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Arbitrary Command Execution Vulnerability

Critical 9.8 Published 1 Apr 2026 Updated 2 Apr 2026

Unauthenticated remote attackers can execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem hosts due to exposed internal services.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2026-20160?

CVE-2026-20160 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem, published on 1 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

A vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected SSM On-Prem host. This vulnerability is due to the unintentional exposure of an internal service. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the API of the exposed service. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges.

Weakness: CWE-668

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20160?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20160?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20160 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.

Is CVE-2026-20160 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20160 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-wmm4-pvrx-wvv8.