Critical Access control

CVE-2026-20328 — Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Arbitrary Account Password Reset Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco License On-Prem, formerly Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem), could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to gain unauthorized access to an affected application. This vulnerability is due to improper checks during the password reset process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a malicious request to the web-based management interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to reset the password of an arbitrary account, including high-privileged administrative user accounts, possibly allowing the attacker to gain unauthorized access to the application as any user.

Published Oct 7, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: cisco

Low

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.

How the score was calculated

EPSS 0.5% (30-day exploitation probability)+6
Technical severity (critical)+10
Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation

Not confirmed

Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.

EPSS FIRST

0.52%

ahead of 43% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026

Affects

Cisco

Cisco License On-Prem

CVSS base

9.1

Critical · 2 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation

None

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

Yes

can an attacker script the kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Cisco Cisco License On-Prem).
The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Cisco	Cisco License On-Prem	version 9-202410version 8-202302version 8-202303version 8-202304version 8-202308version 8-202401version 8-202404version 9-202406 and 28 more version 9-202407version 8-202212version 9-202412version 9-202501version 9-202502version 9-202504version 9-202507version 9-202510version 9-202601version 10-202606version 8-202008version 1.1version 6.3.0version 8-202004version 8-202006version 1.2version 1.3version 8-202012version 8-202010version 7-202001version 9-202201version 8-202102version 1.4version 8-202105version 8-202108version 8-202112version 8-202201version 8-202206	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector

Network

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Scored by
9.1	CVSS 3.1	Critical	3.9	5.2	psirt@cisco.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.1	CVSS 3.1	Critical	—	—	cisco via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: psirt@cisco.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-862 · Missing Authorization

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.52%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.

web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSauthentication logsapplication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Affected products added · cisco/cisco license on-prem
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SSVC assessment updated
Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Record published
Oct 13, 2026
CVSS changed · 9.1
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · → Awaiting Analysis
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record created in this database
Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVE published
Oct 7, 2026 · cisco

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

1 on the record

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ssm-access-ntt
NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Cisco
every CVE for this vendor

Access control
same class

CWE-862
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

High CVE-2026-76484 Cisco License On-Prem Security Hardening Release 8d
Critical CVE-2026-76483 Cisco License On-Prem Security Hardening Release 8d
Critical CVE-2026-76482 Cisco License On-Prem Security Hardening Release 8d
Critical CVE-2026-76480 Cisco License On-Prem Security Hardening Release 8d
Critical CVE-2026-76454 Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Unauthenticated API Vulnerability 8d
Medium CVE-2026-76437 Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Command Injection Vulnerability 8d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-20328 is "Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem Arbitrary Account Password Reset Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Cisco License On-Prem (Cisco); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.52% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

Comments

Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.

No comments yet.