CVE-2026-20316

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC): Secure Firewall Management Center Use of Hard-coded Password

As of , CVE-2026-20316 in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) is on CISA's list of exploited vulnerabilities: CISA listed it on . Our patch-first group: Patch now.

Exploited
Yes: CISA listed it on 29 July 2026
US federal deadline
1 August 20263 days after CISA listed it. US federal civilian agencies must fix it by then.
Used in ransomware campaigns
KnownCISA changed it from Unknown to Known on 10 September 2026.
EPSS score
0.35Higher than 98% of the CVEs EPSS scores. EPSS estimates the chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
Public exploit
None foundNeither Metasploit nor Exploit-DB lists one.
Fix
Vendor advice: sec.cloudapps.cisco.comLinks below, from CISA's entry.

What CISA says to do

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

CISA's required action

What the flaw is

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) formerly known as Firepower Management Center contains a use of hard-coded password vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected device using a low-privileged account to access sensitive data within the impacted systems.

CISA's description

A vulnerability in the web interface of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to an affected device using a low-privileged account to access sensitive data within the impacted systems. This vulnerability is due to the presence of static user credentials for a low-privileged account. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using the account to log in to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to the affected system and access sensitive data as the low-privileged user.  Note: If the FMC management interface does not have public internet access, the attack surface that is associated with this vulnerability is reduced.   Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of High rather than Medium as the score indicates. The reason is that this vulnerability can be used with other Cisco Secure FMC Software vulnerabilities to elevate privileges.

The CVE record's description, from cisco

CVE published
29 July 2026
Assigned by
cisco
CVSS
5.3 Medium (CVSS 3.1, from the CNA)
CWE-259
Use of Hard-coded Password
CISA SSVC, exploitation
active
CISA SSVC, automatable
yes
CISA SSVC, technical impact
partial

Timeline

  1. The CVE record was published.
  2. CISA added it to its list of exploited vulnerabilities.
  3. The US federal deadline to fix it.
  4. CISA changed its entry. Ransomware use: Unknown to Known.

Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC): other exploited entries

VulnerabilityProductOur groupListedDeadlineEPSS
CVE-2026-20131Software and Cisco Security Cloud Control (SCC) Firewall Management Deserialization of Untrusted DataCisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC)Patch nowRansomware use, listed within a year0.43

Read further