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CVE-2026-20326 – Missing Authentication for Critical Function (Unauthenticated Access) – Cisco Nexus

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Summary

CVE-2026-20326 is a critical missing-authentication vulnerability in Cisco Nexus Dashboard, discovered during an internal Cisco security review as part of a broader software-hardening effort. The flaw allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access a critical function of the product over the network, and it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: a critical function in Cisco Nexus Dashboard is classified under CWE-306, Missing Authentication for Critical Function, meaning the affected function does not properly verify that a caller is authenticated before performing a sensitive operation.
  • Attack vector: network-based; the vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
  • Trigger conditions: an attacker sends a crafted request to the vulnerable function on the exposed Nexus Dashboard interface; no valid credentials or user interaction are required.
  • Impact: successful exploitation gives an unauthenticated attacker the ability to perform the critical function, with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.
  • Discovery: identified internally by Cisco during a comprehensive security review of Nexus Dashboard, tracked internally as defect CSCwu28001; Cisco states it is not aware of any public exploit code or active exploitation in the wild.

Affected software

  • Cisco Nexus Dashboard releases 2.1(1d), 2.1(1e), 2.1(2d), 2.1(2f)
  • 2.2(1e), 2.2(1h), 2.2(2d)
  • 2.3(1c), 2.3(2b), 2.3(2c), 2.3(2d), 2.3(2e)
  • 3.0(1f), 3.0(1i)
  • 3.1(1k), 3.1(1l), 3.1(1n)
  • 3.2(1e), 3.2(1i), 3.2(2f), 3.2(2g), 3.2(2m)
  • 3.3(1a), 3.3(1b), 3.3(2b), 3.3(2g)
  • 4.0(1i), 4.1(1g), 4.2.1
  • All releases prior to 4.3.1.175 are considered vulnerable; only the fixed release line addresses the issue.

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade Cisco Nexus Dashboard to release 4.3.1.175 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability.
  • If no patch: Cisco states there are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. Organizations that cannot immediately upgrade should restrict and tightly control network access to the Nexus Dashboard management interfaces from untrusted networks until the fixed release can be deployed.

References

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