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Cisco Secure Client EUVDEUVD-2026-107381

| CVE-2026-76462 MEDIUM
Improper Input Validation (CWE-20)
2026-10-21 cisco GHSA-5f4j-pf3p-wcgw
5.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: cisco
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Gain authenticated local access to host
  2. Delivery
    Craft malicious IPC messages
  3. Exploit
    Send to Secure Firewall Posture local socket
  4. Execution
    Trigger unvalidated file write as SYSTEM/root
  5. Impact
    Escalate to full root (macOS/Linux)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the Cisco Secure Client Secure Firewall Posture module to be installed and running, and the attacker must already hold an authenticated local (unprivileged) account on the affected endpoint - there is no network or remote vector (AV:L). The specific prerequisite is local access to the Posture module's IPC local socket, to which the attacker sends crafted IPC messages. Limiting factors: no remote exploitation, prior local authentication required (PR:L), and direct impact on Windows is limited to constrained SYSTEM-privileged file writes - only on macOS and Linux can this be escalated to full root, so those platforms carry the higher real-world risk.

Impact

This is a genuine but second-tier priority: a local privilege-escalation flaw, not a remotely exploitable one. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N, base 5.5 Medium) confirms the attacker must already have authenticated local access to the device and that the only direct impact is to integrity (file write), with no confidentiality or availability impact scored. Cisco deliberately raised its Security Impact Rating to High above the Medium base score, because on macOS and Linux the limited SYSTEM/root file write can be leveraged into full root compromise - a meaningful gap between the numeric score and real-world worst case that defenders should weigh. No EPSS score, CISA KEV listing, or public POC was provided in the intelligence, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active or widespread exploitation; the local-only vector makes mass automated exploitation unlikely regardless. Net: patch on a normal-to-prioritized cadence (favoring macOS/Linux endpoints where full root is achievable), but this is not an emergency drop-everything issue absent new exploitation signals.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already has an unprivileged authenticated session on a host running Cisco Secure Client with the Secure Firewall Posture module sends a series of crafted IPC messages to the module's local socket. Insufficient input validation lets the attacker trigger file write operations executed with SYSTEM (Windows) or root (macOS/Linux) privileges; on macOS and Linux this can be escalated to full root control. No public exploit code was identified in the provided data.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 21, 2026

Local privilege escalation in the Secure Firewall Posture module of Cisco Secure Client lets an authenticated local user send crafted IPC messages to a local socket and perform limited privileged file writes as SYSTEM or root; on macOS and Linux this can be extended to full root. The flaw affects Secure Client installations with the Posture module on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with the highest practical risk on macOS/Linux. No public exploit code or active exploitation was identified at time of analysis, and exploitation requires prior local account access plus the Posture module running.

RemediationAI

No fixed version is identified in the provided data, so treat the Cisco advisory as authoritative and upgrade Cisco Secure Client and the Secure Firewall Posture module to a release Cisco lists as fixed; verify the version against https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sec-client-priv-esc-muF8eZdm. If posture assessment is not required, disable or uninstall the Secure Firewall Posture module, accepting the trade-off of losing posture and conditional-access enforcement. Limit interactive local logins to trusted users and audit local accounts, which reduces exposure because exploitation requires PR:L but does not eliminate the risk. Monitor endpoint telemetry for unexpected IPC traffic to the Posture socket and for privileged file writes by the module, and tune EDR to alert on unusual SYSTEM/root file-write activity.

Affected VersionsENISA

Cisco Secure Client 5.1.16.194
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.00556
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.9.113
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.18.314
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.03076
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.15.287
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.03047
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.00529
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.5.65
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.08025
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.01242
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.19.1862
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.07073
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.11.388
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.04043
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.01095
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.07061
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.07062
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.8.122
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.08029
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.06090
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.02086
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.0.136
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.13.117
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.3.62
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.6.103
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.05040
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.10.233
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.17.3382
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.04053
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.4.74
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.8.105
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.00238
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.7.80
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.06079
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.04065
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.05095
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.05042
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.17.3394
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.1.42
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.02075
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.00086
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.12.146
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.06037
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.00093
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.2.42
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.13.177
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.03072
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.02028
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.04071
Cisco Secure Client 4.9.03049
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.05111
Cisco Secure Client 5.1.14.145
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.03104
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.05085
Cisco Secure Client 5.0.04032
Cisco Secure Client 4.10.01075

Affected Packages

euvd cisco_secure_client no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

The Secure Firewall Posture module exposes a local interprocess communication socket and processes user-supplied IPC messages without sufficient input validation, the weakness class mapped to CWE-20. The supplied CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N) confirms a local, low-complexity attack that requires an authenticated low-privileged account and no user interaction, with the primary impact being integrity rather than confidentiality. Because the receiving module operates with elevated privileges, crafted IPC messages can induce constrained file writes as SYSTEM on Windows or root on macOS/Linux; on macOS and Linux the primitive is assessed as sufficient to obtain full root. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:cisco:cisco_secure_client:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* identifies the Cisco Secure Client product family, but the wildcard does not enumerate exact affected or fixed versions.

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Severity by source

Vendor (cisco) PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
vuln.today AI 5.5 MEDIUM

Local IPC socket access by an already-authenticated low-privilege user gives AV:L/PR:L/UI:N; impact is a root/SYSTEM file write (I:H) with no disclosure or availability loss (C:N/A:N).

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (cisco).

CVSS VectorVendor: cisco

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of the Secure Firewall Posture module in Cisco Secure Client could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges on an affected device.

This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a series of crafted IPC messages to a local socket. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to perform limited file write operations on the filesystem with SYSTEM or root privileges. Although this vulnerability affects the Secure Firewall Posture module in Cisco Secure Client on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems, this vulnerability could be used to obtain full root privileges on macOS and Linux. For that reason Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of High rather than Medium as the score indicates.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 97% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Cisco Secure Client (ex-AnyConnect) is a widely deployed enterprise VPN/endpoint agent
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 0.1%
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
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

28
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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