Administrative root command execution via crafted CLI arguments
Published Mar 4, 2026 · Updated Mar 4, 2026
Argument injection in Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense allows local users to execute arbitrary operating-system commands as root. The FXOS CLI passes insufficiently validated, user-supplied arguments from specific CLI commands into underlying operating-system command execution. The issue is limited to specified FXOS-based Firepower appliances regardless of configuration, and valid administrative credentials are required.
Summary
What happened
Argument injection in Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense allows local users to execute arbitrary operating-system commands as root. The FXOS CLI passes insufficiently validated, user-supplied arguments from specific CLI commands into underlying operating-system command execution. The issue is limited to specified FXOS-based Firepower appliances regardless of configuration, and valid administrative credentials are required.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-20016
- Published
- Mar 4, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 4, 2026
- Vendor
- ClamAV
- Product
- Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense
- Classifications
- CWE-88, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 4, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 4, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=7.0.0
- Affected versionversion=7.0.0.1
- Affected versionversion=7.0.1
- Affected versionversion=7.0.1.1
- Affected versionversion=7.0.2
- Affected versionversion=7.0.2.1
- Affected versionversion=7.0.3
- Affected versionversion=7.0.4
- Affected versionversion=7.0.5
- Affected versionversion=7.0.6
- Affected versionversion=7.0.6.1
- Affected versionversion=7.0.6.2
- Affected versionversion=7.0.6.3
- Affected versionversion=7.0.7
- Affected versionversion=7.0.8
- Affected versionversion=7.0.8.1
- Affected versionversion=7.1.0
- Affected versionversion=7.1.0.1
- Affected versionversion=7.1.0.3
- Affected versionversion=7.2.0
- Affected versionversion=7.2.0.1
- Affected versionversion=7.2.1
- Affected versionversion=7.2.10
- Affected versionversion=7.2.10.2
- Affected versionversion=7.2.2
- Affected versionversion=7.2.3
- Affected versionversion=7.2.4
- Affected versionversion=7.2.4.1
- Affected versionversion=7.2.5
- Affected versionversion=7.2.5.1
- Affected versionversion=7.2.5.2
- Affected versionversion=7.2.6
- Affected versionversion=7.2.7
- Affected versionversion=7.2.8
- Affected versionversion=7.2.8.1
- Affected versionversion=7.2.9
- Affected versionversion=7.3.0
- Affected versionversion=7.3.1
- Affected versionversion=7.3.1.1
- Affected versionversion=7.3.1.2
- Affected versionversion=7.4.1
- Affected versionversion=7.4.1.1
- Affected versionversion=7.4.2
- Affected versionversion=7.4.2.1
- Affected versionversion=7.4.2.2
- Affected versionversion=7.4.2.3
- Affected versionversion=7.4.2.4
- Affected versionversion=7.4.3
- Affected versionversion=7.6.0
- Affected versionversion=7.6.1
- Affected versionversion=7.6.2
- Affected versionversion=7.6.2.1
- Affected versionversion=7.7.0
- Affected versionversion=7.7.10
- Affected versionversion=7.7.10.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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