CVE-2026-20045: Cisco Unified Communications Products Code Injection Vulnerability

Published Jan 21, 2026
·
Updated

A vulnerability in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P), Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device.  This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a sequence of crafted HTTP requests to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges 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.

Other sources

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM SME), Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service (Unified CM IM&P), Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance contain a code injection vulnerability that could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root.

CISA

Affected Software

14 affected components
Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition
Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service
Cisco Cisco Unity Connection
Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance
Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Unified Communications Manager>=12.5<14su5
Cisco Unified Communications Manager>=12.5<14su5
Cisco Unified Communications Manager>=15.0<=15su3a
Cisco Unified Communications Manager>=15.0<=15su3a
Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service>=12.5<14su5
Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service>=15.0<=15su3a
Cisco Unity Connection>=12.5<14su5
Cisco Unity Connection>=15.0<=15su3

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Compensating control

    Mitigate per the vendor’s instructions; if mitigations are unavailable, discontinue use of the affected Cisco Unified Communications products.

  2. Compensating control

    Apply applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services.

Event History

Jan 21, 2026
CVE Published
via CISA·12:00 AM
Known Exploited
via CISA·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via CISA·12:00 AM
RemedyDescriptionAffected Software
CVE Published
via MITRE·04:26 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·04:26 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·05:16 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
News Published
via BleepingComputer·10:16 PM
News Published
via BleepingComputer·10:18 PM
Jan 22, 2026
News Published
via The Register·10:54 AM
News Published
via The Register·10:57 AM
Apr 5, 2026
News Published
via The Register·01:00 PM
Jun 4, 2026
News Published
via BleepingComputer·11:09 AM
Jul 2, 2026
News Published
via BleepingComputer·11:35 AM
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-20045?

CVE-2026-20045 is rated as critical due to its potential to allow remote code execution.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-20045?

To fix CVE-2026-20045, apply the latest security patches provided by Cisco for the affected Unified Communications products.

3

What products are affected by CVE-2026-20045?

CVE-2026-20045 affects Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition, Cisco Unified Communications IM & Presence Service, Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Webex Calling Dedicated Instance.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-20045?

CVE-2026-20045 is classified as a remote code execution vulnerability.

5

Can CVE-2026-20045 be exploited remotely?

Yes, CVE-2026-20045 can be exploited remotely, making it critical for organizations to address it immediately.

Contact

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