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Cisco License On-Prem EUVDEUVD-2026-94464

| CVE-2026-76480 CRITICAL
Missing Authentication for Critical Function (CWE-306)
2026-10-07 cisco GHSA-mghj-vwpp-8x3f
9.8
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
    Reach SSM On-Prem network interface
  2. Delivery
    Send request to unauthenticated function
  3. Exploit
    Bypass authentication (CWE-306)
  4. Execution
    Gain administrative/unauthorized access
  5. Impact
    Compromise confidentiality, integrity and availability

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication required for critical functions
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Initial Access

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires network reachability to the Cisco License On-Prem (formerly Smart Software Manager On-Prem) management service. Per the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), there are no special configuration prerequisites, no authentication, and no user interaction required against an exposed instance, consistent with CWE-306 missing authentication on a critical function. The primary limiting factor is network exposure: SSM On-Prem is typically an internal licensing server, so risk is substantially reduced where the management interface is restricted to trusted management networks and not internet-facing. Exact vulnerable versions were not provided in the input and should be confirmed against the Cisco advisory to scope affected deployments.

Impact

All available signals point to a genuine high-priority issue, though some corroborating data is absent. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity flaw requiring no privileges or user interaction, and CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for a Critical Function) is consistent with the 'Authentication Bypass' tag - the signals are internally coherent, not conflicting. The 9.8 base score combined with full H/H/H impact indicates complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. However, no EPSS probability was supplied, there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code was referenced, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The vulnerability was internally discovered and reported by Cisco itself as part of a proactive hardening review rather than being found through observed attacks, which lowers the likelihood of in-the-wild exploitation in the immediate term but does NOT reduce the technical severity. Bottom line: treat as a real priority for patching because of the trivial-to-exploit, unauthenticated, network-facing nature, while recognizing that current evidence shows no active exploitation - EPSS and KEV data are missing and should be re-checked, as auth-bypass flaws in licensing/management infrastructure are attractive reverse-engineering targets once patches are released.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with network access to the Cisco License On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) management interface sends a request to a function that fails to enforce authentication, bypassing login entirely. Because no credentials or user interaction are required, the attacker gains unauthorized access that can lead to full read/write control and disruption of the licensing server. No public proof-of-concept was referenced in the provided data.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 07, 2026

Missing authentication for critical functions in Cisco License On-Prem (formerly Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem, SSM On-Prem) lets unauthenticated remote attackers reach protected functionality with no credentials and no user interaction, exposing confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CVSS 9.8, AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). The issues were discovered during Cisco's own internal security review and are bundled into a hardening release documented in Cisco advisory cisco-sa-hardening-ssm-Ph77wdhf rather than being tied to a single feature or endpoint. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation have been identified at time of analysis, but because the licensing server is frequently deployed on internal networks with broad reach to managed devices and license data, any internet- or flat-network-exposed instance should be treated as an urgent patch priority.

RemediationAI

Cisco has published a hardening release addressing these authentication flaws in the advisory at https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-hardening-ssm-Ph77wdhf; patch status is best described as patch available per vendor advisory, with no exact fix version cited in the supplied data, so administrators must confirm the specific fixed build on that page and upgrade Cisco License On-Prem to it (an exact version number cannot be stated without the advisory text). Until the upgrade is applied, the most effective control is network scoping: restrict the license server's management interface to trusted management subnets via firewall or ACL rules, remove any NAT or reverse-proxy exposure to the internet, and block inbound access from user VLANs, since exploitation requires only network reachability and no credentials. The trade-off is that over-restricting may block legitimate product registration and license synchronization from managed devices, so permit only the known licensing client addresses and validate that sync still succeeds after tightening rules. Additional compensating measures include terminating the management interface behind an authenticating reverse proxy where the product architecture permits it, enabling verbose logging and alerting on unauthenticated requests to administrative endpoints, and monitoring for unexpected license or configuration changes that would indicate a bypass was exercised. Because the flaw is an authentication bypass rather than a credential compromise, rotating passwords alone will not remediate it.

Affected VersionsENISA

Cisco License On-Prem 8-202112
Cisco License On-Prem 10-202606
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202406
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202012
Cisco License On-Prem 1.2
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202302
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202412
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202105
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202410
Cisco License On-Prem 1.4
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202601
Cisco License On-Prem 1.1
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202010
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202502
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202308
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202201
Cisco License On-Prem 7-202001
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202501
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202404
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202008
Cisco License On-Prem 10-202608
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202303
Cisco License On-Prem 1.3
Cisco License On-Prem 6.3.0
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202201
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202507
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202212
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202401
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202504
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202510
Cisco License On-Prem 9-202407
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202004
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202108
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202006
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202206
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202304
Cisco License On-Prem 8-202102

Affected Packages

euvd cisco_license_on_prem 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 root cause class is CWE-306, Missing Authentication for Critical Function, which Cisco groups under its authentication-bypass pillar for this advisory. In practice this means one or more security-relevant functions on the Cisco License On-Prem management service can be invoked without the caller proving identity, so the weakness is architectural rather than a memory-safety or injection bug. The CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H vector confirms the attacker needs only network reachability to the service: no privileges (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and no mitigating complexity (AC:L), yielding maximum impact across all three CIA pillars within the same security scope. The CPE entry cpe:2.3:a:cisco:cisco_license_on-prem:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* uses a wildcard version, indicating the advisory does not enumerate specific builds in the supplied data, so version scoping must be confirmed against the Cisco advisory. Cisco License On-Prem is a licensing and entitlement management platform (the successor branding to SSM On-Prem) that local on-premises deployments use to register products, manage smart licensing entitlements, and synchronize with Cisco. Because it holds license state and communicates with managed network devices, an authentication bypass on its management interface is a high-value pivot point rather than an isolated web flaw.

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Severity by source

Vendor (cisco) PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 9.8 CRITICAL

Missing authentication on a network-facing critical function gives AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N, and an auth bypass yields full C:H/I:H/A:H with no scope change.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (cisco).

CVSS VectorVendor: cisco

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

DescriptionCVE.org

As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the engineering team for Cisco License On-Prem, formerly Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem), has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in software hardening releases that address multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities.

The vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-76480 are related to issues with improper authentication that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Pillar CWE-306.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Cisco License On-Prem (formerly Smart Software Manager On-Prem) - the licensing server that many organizations rely on to manage Cisco entitlements across their device estate - can be reached and manipulated by an unauthenticated remote attacker without any credentials or user interaction, at a critical CVSS rating of 9.8. Because these appliances are typically deployed on internal networks with broad reach to managed devices and license data, a successful compromise could disrupt licensing and device operations organization-wide, not just within the server itself. No vendor patch and no confirmed active exploitation are currently identified, which makes exposure reduction and monitoring the immediate leadership priority.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; the vendor advisory cisco-sa-hardening-ssm-Ph77wdhf documents hardening measures rather than a single fixed version. Interim mitigations: eliminate internet exposure and restrict access to trusted administrator hosts and networks only; isolate licensing servers in a dedicated, deny-by-default management segment; limit outbound reach to only the managed devices that require licensing; enforce MFA and role-based access on administrative interfaces; enable and monitor authentication, configuration-change, and service-account logging with alerting; and maintain a validated, tested backup of license data and configuration to support rapid recovery.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 76% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
enterprise Cisco licensing appliance, common in large networks but not universal
Social Media
2
Sightings
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 CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
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
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
Very High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

49
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +49
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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