Description
A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks through an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper input validation for specific HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to write files to the underlying operating system that could be used later to elevate to root. Note: Cisco has assigned this security advisory a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of Critical rather than High as the score indicates. The reason is that exploitation of this vulnerability could result in an attacker elevating privileges to root. Note: To exploit this vulnerability, the WebDialer service must be enabled. WebDialer is disabled by default.
In plain language
AI Act nowCVE-2026-20230 is a serious Cisco Unified Communications Manager problem that lets a hacker send special requests without logging in and—if the WebDialer service is turned on—could write files and gain full control of the server; most small businesses should treat this as urgent if they run these products.
CVE-2026-20230 is an unauthenticated, remote file-write and privilege-escalation risk in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), triggered via crafted HTTP requests that can lead to SSRF and (when WebDialer is enabled) root access. This issue is listed in CISA KEV and has been actively exploited in the wild.
What to do now
- Check whether your Cisco Unified Communications Manager or Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition has the WebDialer service enabled.
- If WebDialer is enabled (or you’re unsure), treat the system as exposed to this unauthenticated remote attack path.
- Contact your Cisco/IT vendor immediately and request the fixed update per Cisco’s advisory for CVE-2026-20230.
- Apply the vendor-recommended mitigations/patch as soon as possible, targeting the CISA due date (2026-06-28).
- If you cannot patch quickly, disable WebDialer and follow Cisco’s guidance for compensating controls, then validate the change in your configuration.
CVSS Vector Breakdown
AV:NAttack VectorAC:LAttack ComplexityPR:NPrivileges RequiredUI:NUser InteractionS:CScopeC:NConfidentialityI:HIntegrityA:NAvailabilityWeaknesses
Affected Products
Exploitability
Required action: 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.
Exploit details including PoC links, Metasploit modules, and scanner templates are available after registration.
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MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniquesReferences
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