Root command execution via backup-embedded credentials
Published Apr 1, 2026 · Updated Apr 1, 2026
Credential exposure in Cisco Nexus Dashboard 4.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to execute commands as root via a backup. The Full and Config-only backup paths place authentication details inside encrypted backup archives, and decryption exposes credentials accepted by internal-only REST APIs. Exploitation requires a valid affected-device backup and its encryption password; the recovered credentials grant root-level operating-system command execution.
Summary
What happened
Credential exposure in Cisco Nexus Dashboard 4.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to execute commands as root via a backup. The Full and Config-only backup paths place authentication details inside encrypted backup archives, and decryption exposes credentials accepted by internal-only REST APIs. Exploitation requires a valid affected-device backup and its encryption password; the recovered credentials grant root-level operating-system command execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-20042
- Published
- Apr 1, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 1, 2026
- Vendor
- ClamAV
- Product
- Cisco Nexus Dashboard
- Classifications
- CWE-295, T1078
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 1, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 1, 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=1.1(0c)
- Affected versionversion=1.1(0d)
- Affected versionversion=1.1(2h)
- Affected versionversion=1.1(2i)
- Affected versionversion=1.1(3c)
- Affected versionversion=1.1(3d)
- Affected versionversion=1.1(3e)
- Affected versionversion=1.1(3f)
- Affected versionversion=2.0(1b)
- Affected versionversion=2.0(1d)
- Affected versionversion=2.0(2g)
- Affected versionversion=2.0(2h)
- Affected versionversion=2.1(1d)
- Affected versionversion=2.1(1e)
- Affected versionversion=2.1(2d)
- Affected versionversion=2.1(2f)
- Affected versionversion=2.2(1e)
- Affected versionversion=2.2(1h)
- Affected versionversion=2.2(2d)
- Affected versionversion=2.3(1c)
- Affected versionversion=2.3(2b)
- Affected versionversion=2.3(2c)
- Affected versionversion=2.3(2d)
- Affected versionversion=2.3(2e)
- Affected versionversion=3.0(1f)
- Affected versionversion=3.0(1i)
- Affected versionversion=3.1(1k)
- Affected versionversion=3.1(1l)
- Affected versionversion=3.1(1n)
- Affected versionversion=3.2(1e)
- Affected versionversion=3.2(1i)
- Affected versionversion=3.2(2f)
- Affected versionversion=3.2(2g)
- Affected versionversion=3.2(2m)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(1a)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(1b)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(2b)
- Affected versionversion=3.3(2g)
- Affected versionversion=4.0(1i)
- Affected versionversion=4.1(1g)
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.
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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