What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-20016?

CVE-2026-20016 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.7 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-20016?

Within 30 days: Identify affected systems and apply vendor patches as part of regular patch cycle. Monitor vendor channels for patch availability.

Adaptive Security Appliance Software CVE-2026-20016

MEDIUM

Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') (CWE-88)

2026-03-04 psirt@cisco.com

Information Disclosure Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance Software Firepower Threat Defense Software

6.7

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-88 OWASP Top 10:2025 A05:2025 - Injection ASVS 5.0 V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Argument sanitization
Impact	CVSS 6.0 (MEDIUM). Attack vector: Local. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: High. User interaction: None. Exploitation requires authentication. Exploitable via local access.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	An attacker (requires authentication) could exploit this vulnerability to execute commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).

No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Cisco FXOS Software CLI feature for Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software and Secure FTD Software contains a vulnerability that allows attackers to execute commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges (CVSS 6.0).

RemediationAI

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

affects Cisco FXOS Software CLI feature for Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software and Secure FTD Software. in the Cisco FXOS Software CLI feature for Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software and Secure FTD Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of user-supplied command arguments. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by subm

Know when Adaptive Security Appliance Software gets its next vulnerability

Watch products and get an email when something new is published
Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

Continue with Google Continue with GitHub

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 6.7 MEDIUM

AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

High

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

CVSS changed

Aug 11, 2026 - 19:52 NVD

6.0 (MEDIUM) 6.7 (MEDIUM)

CVE Published

Mar 04, 2026 - 19:16 nvd

MEDIUM 6.0

DescriptionNVD

A vulnerability in the Cisco FXOS Software CLI feature for Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Software and Secure FTD Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of user-supplied command arguments. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting crafted input for specific CLI commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-20016 presents moderate security risk rated CVSS 6.0. Exploitation could compromise the security of affected deployments. Organizations should apply vendor updates when available and monitor for exploitation.

Business Impact: Low

Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If patching is delayed: restrict network access and enable monitoring.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.0%

Top 99% exploitable

Data Quality

4 sources

Confidence: Medium

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity MEDIUM

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 0.0%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Defer

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Small

Automatable· derived

Human Impact

Low

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +34

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information Disclosure MEDIUM

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.