A vulnerability (CVE-2026-20174) in Cisco Nexus Dashboard Insights allows an authenticated remote attacker with administrative credentials to write arbitrary files as root by uploading a crafted metadata update file. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of such files during manual upload, a feature available in both Air-Gap and cloud-connected deployments. Cisco has released software updates to address this issue; there are no available workarounds.
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. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to write arbitrary files to the underlying operating system as the root user. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials. Note: Manual uploading of metadata files is typical for Air-Gap environments but not for Cisco Intersight Cloud connected devices. However, the manual upload option exists for both deployments. 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-ndi-afw-rJuRC5dZ <br/>Security Impact Rating: Medium <br/>CVE: CVE-2026-20174