---
id: CVE-2026-20160
title: "A vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected SSM On-Prem host.\r\n\r\nThis vulnerability…"
summary: "A vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected SSM On-Prem host.\r\n\r\nThis vulnerability…"
severity: critical
cvss: 9.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-668
vendor: cisco
product: smart_software_manager_on-prem
affected:
  - 'smart_software_manager_on-prem >= 9-202502, < 9-202601'
patched:
  - smart_software_manager_on-prem 9-202601
published: '2026-04-01'
updated: '2026-07-01'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20160'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ssm-cli-execution-cHUcWuNr
    label: psirt@cisco.com
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00914
epssPercentile: 0.58371
ingestedAt: '2026-07-01T15:50:58.752Z'
---

## Overview

A vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager On-Prem (SSM On-Prem) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected SSM On-Prem host.

This vulnerability is due to the unintentional exposure of an&nbsp;internal service. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the API of the exposed service. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands on the underlying operating system with root-level privileges.

## Affected

- `smart_software_manager_on-prem >= 9-202502, < 9-202601`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `smart_software_manager_on-prem 9-202601`