CVE-2026-20040
Cisco IOS XR Software CLI Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description
A vulnerability in the CLI of Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user arguments that are passed to specific CLI commands. An attacker with a low-privileged account could exploit this vulnerability by using crafted commands at the prompt. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to root and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system.
Weakness: CWE-78
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Category | Matched by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco | Cisco IOS XR Software | Routing & Switching | cna-assigner |
Vendor-reported products (1)
- Cisco · Cisco IOS XR Software
Vendor advisory
cisco-sa-iosxr-privesc-bF8D5U4W
Cisco IOS XR Software CLI Privilege Escalation Vulnerabilities
Cisco’s rating: High (advisory CVSS 8.8) · Published Mar 11, 2026
Bug IDs: CSCwp27221 , CSCwp30135 , CSCwp30142 , CSCwp30146 , CSCwp30149 , CSCwp32614 , CSCwp32629 , CSCwp33021 , CSCwp33030 , CSCwp33034 , CSCwp35627 , CSCwp84685 , CSCwp87543 , CSCws24696 , CSCws24717 , CSCws24740
The vendor’s rating applies to the whole advisory and can differ from this CVE’s own CVSS severity. Where this comes from