How to Fix CVE-2026-20174: Cisco Nexus Dashboard (Bundle Sibling)

*By Sai Kiran Pandrala*

Last verified: 2026-05-25

CVE-2026-20174 is a sibling vulnerability in the same Cisco Cisco Nexus Dashboard advisory bundle as CVE-2026-20041. The same patched build closes every CVE in the bundle, so the remediation procedure for CVE-2026-20174 matches the primary write-up.

What is different about CVE-2026-20174?

A vulnerability in the Metadata update feature of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to write arbitrary files to an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of the metadata update file. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by crafting a metadata update file and manually uploading it to an affected device.

Impact is consistent with the bundle: compromise of the affected component as described in the vendor advisory. The patched build closes every code path in the advisory in one update.

How to fix CVE-2026-20174

Apply the patched build per the primary write-up: How to Fix CVE-2026-20041.

For a quick check, confirm the running version of Cisco Nexus Dashboard:

# Confirm the installed version via your package manager
dpkg -l | grep -i cisco   # Debian/Ubuntu
rpm -qa | grep -i cisco   # RHEL/CentOS/Rocky

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2026-20174 being actively exploited?

Not at the time of writing. It is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. That status can change, so monitor the vendor advisory and the KEV catalog if the system is exposed.

How severe is CVE-2026-20174?

CVSS rates it 4.9 (Medium). Use that score to set your patch priority alongside the other items in your queue.

Do I have to take Cisco Nexus Dashboard offline to apply the patch?

It depends on the deployment. High-availability or clustered installs can usually patch one node at a time with no full outage. Standalone installs typically need a short restart. Always follow the vendor's documented upgrade steps.

What if my vulnerability scanner still flags CVE-2026-20174 after I patch?

Re-run the scan after a service restart, then confirm the scanner's plugin set is up to date. Some scanners detect by banner version only and lag the official fix metadata by a release.

References

• Official vendor advisory: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ndi-afw-rJuRC5dZ
• NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20174
• CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
• Primary write-up: How to Fix CVE-2026-20041

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified 2026-05-25. Part of the Cisco Cisco Nexus Dashboard advisory bundle. Full procedure at how-to-fix-cve-2026-20041.*