Cisco Unified CM Cmd Exec via HTTP :: Critical Remote Exploit
CVE-2026-20045 Published on January 21, 2026

Cisco Unified Communications Products Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
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.

NVD

Known Exploited Vulnerability

This Cisco Unified Communications Products Code Injection Vulnerability is part of CISA's list of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities. 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 contain a code injection vulnerability that could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root.

The following remediation steps are recommended / required by February 11, 2026: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-20045 can be exploited with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. This vulnerability is known to be actively exploited by threat actors in an automatable fashion. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a high impact on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity, and no impact on availability.

Attack Vector:
NETWORK
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
NONE
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
HIGH
Integrity Impact:
LOW
Availability Impact:
NONE

Weakness Type

What is a Code Injection Vulnerability?

The software constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.

CVE-2026-20045 has been classified to as a Code Injection vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-20045

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Cisco Unified Communications Manager
 
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Im Presence Service
 
Cisco Unity Connection
 

Affected Versions

Cisco Unified Communications Manager: Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service: Cisco Unity Connection:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
1.00%
Percentile
76.62%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.