cisco-sa-vcs-static-cred-hr7EWZ8t: Cisco Expressway Series Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the database service feature of Cisco Expressway Series could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker with network access to a Cisco Expressway device to execute arbitrary operating system commands as root.This vulnerability is due to the use of persistent cookies. Additionally, there is insufficient validation of client certificates when the TLS Verify Mode is set to Enabled for clustering, which means that client certificates are not validated. An attacker with possession of the cookies could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to the database service and invoking specific remote procedure call (RPC) commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system of an affected device.Note: Cisco Expressway Series refers to Cisco Expressway Core (Expressway-C) devices and Cisco Expressway Edge (Expressway-E) devices.Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.This advisory is available at the following link:https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-vcs-static-cred-hr7EWZ8tThis advisory is part of a group of advisories. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Advance Notification for Publication of October 21, 2026, Security Advisories. In addition, for further documentation of improvements and fixes in Cisco Expressway Series see Cisco Expressway Series Security Hardening Release: October 2026.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which deployments are exposed to exploitation?
Cisco Expressway Core (Expressway-C) and Cisco Expressway Edge (Expressway-E) devices are affected when the attacker has network access to the device's database service. The certificate-validation issue applies when TLS Verify Mode is set to Enabled for clustering.
What does an attacker need to exploit this issue?
The attacker must have network access to the Cisco Expressway device and possession of the persistent cookies. They can then connect to the database service and invoke specific RPC commands.
What is the impact of a successful exploit?
A successful exploit allows execution of arbitrary operating-system commands as root on the affected device.
What should be done if the device cannot be patched immediately?
The provided information states that no workarounds address this vulnerability. Cisco software updates are available to remediate it.