Detect Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Path Traversal Exploitation in Microsoft Sentinel
Detects exploitation attempts targeting CVE-2026-20262, a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. Active exploitation has been confirmed by CISA KEV. Attackers can traverse directory boundaries via crafted HTTP requests to access sensitive files outside the web root, potentially exposing credentials, configuration data, or enabling further compromise of the SD-WAN management plane.
MITRE ATT&CK
KQL Detection Query
union CommonSecurityLog, W3CIISLog
| where TimeGenerated >= ago(24h)
| where RequestURL has_any ("../", "..%2f", "..%2F", "%2e%2e%2f", "%2e%2e/", "..%5c", "%2e%2e%5c")
| where RequestURL has_any ("/dataservice/", "/management/", "/template/", "/config/")
| extend TraversalDepth = array_length(extract_all(@"(\.\./|\.\.\/|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e/)", RequestURL))
| where TraversalDepth >= 1
| extend TargetPath = extract(@"(?:\.\./|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e/)+([^?#]+)", 1, RequestURL)
| where TargetPath has_any ("etc/passwd", "etc/shadow", "etc/hosts", "proc/", "var/log", "home/", ".ssh", "authorized_keys", "id_rsa", "config", "credentials")
| project TimeGenerated, SourceIP, DestinationIP, RequestURL, TargetPath, TraversalDepth, RequestMethod, ResponseCode, DeviceVendor, DeviceProduct
| order by TimeGenerated descDetects HTTP requests to Cisco SD-WAN Manager containing path traversal sequences targeting sensitive system files. Covers URL-encoded and double-encoded traversal patterns against known SD-WAN API endpoints.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate security scanners (Qualys, Tenable, Rapid7) performing vulnerability assessments against SD-WAN Manager
- Penetration testing activities with authorized scope covering SD-WAN infrastructure
- Web application firewalls logging blocked traversal attempts that never reached the application
- URL monitoring tools that encode paths in ways that resemble traversal sequences
Other platforms for CVE-2026-20262
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Basic Path Traversal File Read via SD-WAN Manager API
Expected signal: Web server access log entry with URI containing '../../../../etc/passwd', HTTP response code 200 or 400/403 depending on patch status, source IP of test host
- Test 2URL-Encoded Path Traversal Against SD-WAN Template API
Expected signal: Access log entry with raw URI containing %2e%2e%2f sequences targeting /template/ endpoint, HTTP response code logged by web server before or after URL normalization
- Test 3Double-Encoded Traversal Bypass Attempt
Expected signal: Access log entry with double-encoded URI; if the server double-decodes the URL, a subsequent audit log event showing /etc/passwd file access at the OS level
- Test 4Traversal to SD-WAN Configuration File for Credential Harvesting
Expected signal: Multiple HTTP requests in quick succession with traversal sequences targeting vmanage configuration paths; response sizes indicating file content if successful
References (4)
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-arbfw-c2rZvQ
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20262
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