Dark ReadingNate Nelson
Cisco flags 48 firewall flaws; two CVEs enable FMC auth bypass
Part of the CVE-2026-20079 story · since 4 Mar
Quiet for 7 weekslast report 17 Sep14 articles7 outlets
- Wed 4 Mar, 22:51 UTC. Security Affairs, first report. Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20079 and CVE-2026-20131 grant root access. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 5 Mar, 08:56 UTC. SecurityWeek, its first report on the story. Cisco patches 50 flaws after authentication bypass CVE-2026-20079. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 5 Mar, 10:57 UTC. Infosecurity, its first report on the story. Cisco fixes 48 Secure Firewall flaws; CVE-2026-20079 auth bypass. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 5 Mar, 20:43 UTC. Dark Reading, its first report on the story. Cisco flags 48 firewall flaws; two CVEs enable FMC auth bypass. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV. This article, 4th of 14.
- Thu 6 Aug, 07:51 UTC. SecurityWeek. Cisco fixes critical flaws in Catalyst SDWAN and firewall gear. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Wed 9 Sep, 23:28 UTC. SecurityOnline, its first report on the story. Cisco Warns Attackers Are Exploiting Critical FMC Flaws for Root Access. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 01:32 UTC. CISA, its first report on the story. CISA Flags Actively Exploited Cisco Firewall Flaw Enabling Root Access. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 10:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Cisco Firewall Flaw Exploited by Sandworm and Qilin Ransomware. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 11:36 UTC. The Hacker News, its first report on the story. CISA Flags Cisco, Citrix and Fortinet Flaws Under Active Attack. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 19:46 UTC. Security Affairs. CISA Flags Four Actively Exploited Flaws Including Cisco Zero Day. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Fri 11 Sep, 07:48 UTC. The Hacker News. Cisco Firewall Flaws Exploited to Deploy Web Shells and Ransomware. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Fri 11 Sep, 10:37 UTC. Security Affairs. Cisco Firewall Flaws Exploited to Deploy Qilin Ransomware. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Mon 14 Sep, 22:16 UTC. Dark Reading. Russia-linked hackers exploit Cisco firewall flaws to deploy Cyclops Blink. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 17 Sep, 12:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Cisco Patches Dozens of Flaws as ISE Zero Day Faces Exploitation. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
Cisco disclosed 48 vulnerabilities across its firewall ecosystem, with two regarded as the most critical. The issues affect Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA), Secure FTD, and Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), and Cisco says all 48 have fixes and urges customers to update to the latest software.
Two FMC‑related flaws, CVE-2026-20079 and CVE-2026-20131, carry the maximum CVSS score of 10, enabling bypassed authentication or remote arbitrary code execution via the FMC Web interface, potentially allowing root access or privilege escalation. The Netherlands Cyber Security Center (NCSC-NL) echoed Cisco’s advisory on 4 March, warning that public PoC and large-scale abuse attempts may follow these critical bugs.
Relatedly, a previously disclosed 10/10 vulnerability in the Catalyst SD-WAN Controller was exploited in targeted attacks by an unknown threat actor, underscoring the security risks of edge devices and the FMC’s central role in network security. Cisco’s edge-focused critique highlights that a compromised FMC could enable attackers to modify firewall rules, disable inspection, or push malicious configurations across multiple devices. according to The Netherlands Cyber Security Center (NCSC-NL)
How the story developed
Quiet for 7 weekslast report 17 Sep14 articles7 outlets
14 articles from 7 outlets since 4 Mar. Quiet since 17 Sep. This was the 4th report, 22 hours after the first.
- Wed 4 Mar, 22:51 UTC. Security Affairs, first report. Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20079 and CVE-2026-20131 grant root access. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 5 Mar, 08:56 UTC. SecurityWeek, its first report on the story. Cisco patches 50 flaws after authentication bypass CVE-2026-20079. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 5 Mar, 10:57 UTC. Infosecurity, its first report on the story. Cisco fixes 48 Secure Firewall flaws; CVE-2026-20079 auth bypass. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 5 Mar, 20:43 UTC. Dark Reading, its first report on the story. Cisco flags 48 firewall flaws; two CVEs enable FMC auth bypass. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV. This article, 4th of 14.
- Thu 6 Aug, 07:51 UTC. SecurityWeek. Cisco fixes critical flaws in Catalyst SDWAN and firewall gear. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Wed 9 Sep, 23:28 UTC. SecurityOnline, its first report on the story. Cisco Warns Attackers Are Exploiting Critical FMC Flaws for Root Access. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 01:32 UTC. CISA, its first report on the story. CISA Flags Actively Exploited Cisco Firewall Flaw Enabling Root Access. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 10:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Cisco Firewall Flaw Exploited by Sandworm and Qilin Ransomware. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 11:36 UTC. The Hacker News, its first report on the story. CISA Flags Cisco, Citrix and Fortinet Flaws Under Active Attack. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 10 Sep, 19:46 UTC. Security Affairs. CISA Flags Four Actively Exploited Flaws Including Cisco Zero Day. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Fri 11 Sep, 07:48 UTC. The Hacker News. Cisco Firewall Flaws Exploited to Deploy Web Shells and Ransomware. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Fri 11 Sep, 10:37 UTC. Security Affairs. Cisco Firewall Flaws Exploited to Deploy Qilin Ransomware. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Mon 14 Sep, 22:16 UTC. Dark Reading. Russia-linked hackers exploit Cisco firewall flaws to deploy Cyclops Blink. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Thu 17 Sep, 12:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Cisco Patches Dozens of Flaws as ISE Zero Day Faces Exploitation. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
- Known exploited CVE
- No CVE
- Larger: an outlet’s first report
- Square: official source
- Coverage over time
- Quiet time, folded
Show all 14 articles as a listHide the list
- Wed 4 MarDay 01
- Cisco FMC CVE-2026-20079 and CVE-2026-20131 grant root access22:51 · Security Affairs · First report · Exploited CVE · Known exploited CVE
- Thu 5 MarDay 13
- Cisco patches 50 flaws after authentication bypass CVE-2026-2007908:56 · SecurityWeek · Known exploited CVE
- Cisco fixes 48 Secure Firewall flaws; CVE-2026-20079 auth bypass10:57 · Infosecurity · Known exploited CVE
- Cisco flags 48 firewall flaws; two CVEs enable FMC auth bypass20:43 · Dark Reading · Known exploited CVE · This article, 4th of 14
Quiet for 22 weeks
Thu 6 AugDay 1551- Cisco fixes critical flaws in Catalyst SDWAN and firewall gear07:51 · SecurityWeek · Picked up again · Known exploited CVE
Quiet for 5 weeks
Wed 9 SepDay 1891- Cisco Warns Attackers Are Exploiting Critical FMC Flaws for Root Access23:28 · SecurityOnline · Picked up again · Known exploited CVE
- Thu 10 SepDay 1904
- CISA Flags Actively Exploited Cisco Firewall Flaw Enabling Root Access01:32 · CISA · official · CISA alert · Known exploited CVE
- Cisco Firewall Flaw Exploited by Sandworm and Qilin Ransomware10:30 · SecurityWeek · Known exploited CVE
- CISA Flags Cisco, Citrix and Fortinet Flaws Under Active Attack11:36 · The Hacker News · Known exploited CVE
- CISA Flags Four Actively Exploited Flaws Including Cisco Zero Day19:46 · Security Affairs · Known exploited CVE
- Fri 11 SepDay 1912
- Cisco Firewall Flaws Exploited to Deploy Web Shells and Ransomware07:48 · The Hacker News · Known exploited CVE
- Cisco Firewall Flaws Exploited to Deploy Qilin Ransomware10:37 · Security Affairs · Known exploited CVE
Quiet for 3 days
Mon 14 SepDay 1941- Russia-linked hackers exploit Cisco firewall flaws to deploy Cyclops Blink22:16 · Dark Reading · Picked up again · Known exploited CVE
Quiet for 3 days
Thu 17 SepDay 1971- Cisco Patches Dozens of Flaws as ISE Zero Day Faces Exploitation12:30 · SecurityWeek · Picked up again · Known exploited CVE