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Cisco IOS XR Software Vulnerability Allow Attacker to Execute Commands as Root

Cybersecuritynews •Abinaya • March 12, 2026

Cisco has issued a high-severity security advisory warning organizations two critical privilege-escalation vulnerabilities in its IOS XR Software. If exploited, these flaws could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root or gain full administrative control over affected routing devices. Both vulnerabilities were discovered during internal security testing by Cisco, and […]

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Critical Cisco IOS XR Vulnerabilities Enable Root Command Execution Cisco has issued a high-severity advisory regarding two critical privilege-escalation vulnerabilities in its IOS XR Software. These vulnerabilities, if exploited, could allow an authenticated local attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges, potentially leading to full administrative control over affected routing devices. Cisco discovered these flaws during internal security testing. The vulnerabilities are part of a broader set of four high-severity issues patched by Cisco, which also includes risks of DoS conditions and device takeover. Organizations using IOS XR Software are urged to apply the patches immediately to mitigate risks. Specific CVEs have not been disclosed in the articles, but the vulnerabilities are considered severe enough to warrant urgent attention from security professionals. The current status indicates that patches are available, but the potential for exploitation remains a concern until all systems are updated. 6 sources 72

Extracted Entities

Cisco IOS XR Software Vulnerability Allow Attacker to Execute Commands as Root

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Extracted Entities

Attack Types (1)

MITRE ATT&CK (2)

Platforms (1)