What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-20046?

CVE-2026-20046 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-20046?

Within 24 hours: Identify all Cisco IOS XR devices in your environment and document current user account policies. Within 7 days: Restrict local CLI access to essential personnel only, implement multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and enable detailed command logging and audit trails. Within 30 days: Monitor Cisco security advisories for patch availability and develop a rapid deployment plan; consider network segmentation to limit lateral movement from compromised local accounts.

Ios Xr CVE-2026-20046

HIGH

Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls (CWE-264)

2026-03-11 psirt@cisco.com

Privilege Escalation Apple Cisco Ios Xr

8.8

CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: cisco

View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

Access

Authenticate with low-privileged account
Exploit

Execute vulnerable CLI command
Execution

Bypass task group validation checks
Impact

Elevate privileges to administrative level

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-264 OWASP Top 10:2025 A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components ASVS 5.0 V8 - Authorization Permission and access control MITRE ATT&CK 1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Exploitation Conditions	Local access with low-privileged user account on Cisco IOS XR device; specific CLI command with incorrectly mapped task group permissions must be available in source code configuration.
Impact	CVSS 8.8 (HIGH). Attack vector: Local. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: Low. User interaction: None. Exploitation no authentication required. Exploitable via local access.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	An attacker without authentication could exploit this vulnerability to elevate privileges and perform actions on an affected device without authorizati.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).

No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Cisco IOS XR Software contains a task group mapping flaw in a specific CLI command that allows authenticated local attackers to bypass privilege checks and gain full administrative access to affected devices. An attacker with low-privileged credentials can exploit this misconfiguration to execute unauthorized administrative actions without proper authorization validation. No patch is currently available.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)

v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 22:06 CVSS 8.8

task group assignment for a specific CLI command in Cisco IOS XR Software is affected by permissions, privileges, and access controls (CVSS 8.8).

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

This vulnerability (CWE-264: Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) affects task group assignment for a specific CLI command in Cisco IOS XR Software. in task group assignment for a specific CLI command in Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges and gain full administrative control of an affected device.

This vulnerability is due to incorrect mapping of a command to task groups within the source code. An attacker with a low-privileged account could exploit this vulnerability by using the CLI command to bypass the task group–based checks. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (cisco) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH

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

Primary rating from Vendor (cisco) · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorVendor: cisco

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

DescriptionCVE.org

A vulnerability in task group assignment for a specific CLI command in Cisco IOS XR Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges and gain full administrative control of an affected device.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity vulnerability in Cisco IOS XR allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges to full administrative control through a CLI command bypass. Organizations running affected Cisco IOS XR devices face immediate risk of complete system compromise if local account access is compromised, with no vendor patch currently available.

Business Impact: High

Compensating Controls

Disable or restrict access to the vulnerable CLI command if operationally feasible; implement role-based access control (RBAC) with minimal privilege assignment; enforce multi-factor authentication for local console and SSH access; enable comprehensive audit logging for all CLI commands; implement network segmentation to limit local attacker reach; restrict physical and remote console access to trusted administrators only.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.0%

Top 94% 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 HIGH

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 0.0%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)

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

Scheduled

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Small

Automatable· derived

Human Impact

High

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +44

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege Escalation HIGH

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.