Root command execution via CLI argument injection
Published Mar 11, 2026 · Updated Mar 11, 2026
OS command injection in the Cisco IOS XR Software CLI allows local users with low-privileged accounts to execute commands as root. Specific CLI commands insufficiently validate crafted user arguments before passing them toward the underlying operating system. A low-privileged local account and CLI prompt access are required; successful exploitation elevates that account to root command execution.
Summary
What happened
OS command injection in the Cisco IOS XR Software CLI allows local users with low-privileged accounts to execute commands as root. Specific CLI commands insufficiently validate crafted user arguments before passing them toward the underlying operating system. A low-privileged local account and CLI prompt access are required; successful exploitation elevates that account to root command execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-20040
- Published
- Mar 11, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 11, 2026
- Vendor
- ClamAV
- Product
- Cisco IOS XR Software
- Classifications
- CWE-78, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=24.1.1
- Affected versionversion=24.1.2
- Affected versionversion=24.2.1
- Affected versionversion=24.2.11
- Affected versionversion=24.2.2
- Affected versionversion=24.2.20
- Affected versionversion=24.2.21
- Affected versionversion=24.3.1
- Affected versionversion=24.3.2
- Affected versionversion=24.3.20
- Affected versionversion=24.3.30
- Affected versionversion=24.4.1
- Affected versionversion=24.4.10
- Affected versionversion=24.4.15
- Affected versionversion=24.4.2
- Affected versionversion=24.4.30
- Affected versionversion=25.1.1
- Affected versionversion=25.1.2
- Affected versionversion=25.1.30
- Affected versionversion=25.2.1
- Affected versionversion=25.2.15
- Affected versionversion=25.2.2
- Affected versionversion=25.2.30
- Affected versionversion=25.3.1
- Affected versionversion=25.3.15
- Affected versionversion=25.4.1
- Affected versionversion=6.5.1
- Affected versionversion=6.5.15
- Affected versionversion=6.5.2
- Affected versionversion=6.5.25
- Affected versionversion=6.5.26
- Affected versionversion=6.5.28
- Affected versionversion=6.5.29
- Affected versionversion=6.5.3
- Affected versionversion=6.5.31
- Affected versionversion=6.5.32
- Affected versionversion=6.5.33
- Affected versionversion=6.5.35
- Affected versionversion=6.5.351
- Affected versionversion=6.5.352
- Affected versionversion=6.5.353
- Affected versionversion=6.5.90
- Affected versionversion=6.5.92
- Affected versionversion=6.5.93
- Affected versionversion=6.6.1
- Affected versionversion=6.6.11
- Affected versionversion=6.6.12
- Affected versionversion=6.6.2
- Affected versionversion=6.6.25
- Affected versionversion=6.6.3
- Affected versionversion=6.6.4
- Affected versionversion=6.7.1
- Affected versionversion=6.7.2
- Affected versionversion=6.7.3
- Affected versionversion=6.7.35
- Affected versionversion=6.7.4
- Affected versionversion=6.8.1
- Affected versionversion=6.8.2
- Affected versionversion=6.9.1
- Affected versionversion=6.9.2
- Affected versionversion=7.0.0
- Affected versionversion=7.0.1
- Affected versionversion=7.0.11
- Affected versionversion=7.0.12
- Affected versionversion=7.0.14
- Affected versionversion=7.0.2
- Affected versionversion=7.0.90
- Affected versionversion=7.10.1
- Affected versionversion=7.10.2
- Affected versionversion=7.1.1
- Affected versionversion=7.11.1
- Affected versionversion=7.11.2
- Affected versionversion=7.11.21
- Affected versionversion=7.1.15
- Affected versionversion=7.1.2
- Affected versionversion=7.1.25
- Affected versionversion=7.1.3
- Affected versionversion=7.2.0
- Affected versionversion=7.2.1
- Affected versionversion=7.2.12
- Affected versionversion=7.2.2
- Affected versionversion=7.3.1
- Affected versionversion=7.3.15
- Affected versionversion=7.3.16
- Affected versionversion=7.3.2
- Affected versionversion=7.3.27
- Affected versionversion=7.3.3
- Affected versionversion=7.3.4
- Affected versionversion=7.3.5
- Affected versionversion=7.3.6
- Affected versionversion=7.4.1
- Affected versionversion=7.4.15
- Affected versionversion=7.4.16
- Affected versionversion=7.4.2
- Affected versionversion=7.5.1
- Affected versionversion=7.5.12
- Affected versionversion=7.5.2
- Affected versionversion=7.5.3
- Affected versionversion=7.5.4
- Affected versionversion=7.5.5
- Affected versionversion=7.5.52
- Affected versionversion=7.6.1
- Affected versionversion=7.6.15
- Affected versionversion=7.6.2
- Affected versionversion=7.6.3
- Affected versionversion=7.7.1
- Affected versionversion=7.7.2
- Affected versionversion=7.7.21
- Affected versionversion=7.8.1
- Affected versionversion=7.8.12
- Affected versionversion=7.8.2
- Affected versionversion=7.8.22
- Affected versionversion=7.8.23
- Affected versionversion=7.9.1
- Affected versionversion=7.9.2
- Affected versionversion=7.9.21
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.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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