CVE-2026-20051

Cisco Nexus 3600-R and 9500-R Series Switching Platforms Layer 2 Loop Denial of Service Vulnerability

Basic Information

CVE State
PUBLISHED
Reserved Date
October 08, 2025
Published Date
February 25, 2026
Last Updated
February 25, 2026
Vendor
Cisco
Product
Cisco NX-OS Software
Description
A vulnerability with the Ethernet VPN (EVPN) Layer 2 ingress packet processing of Cisco Nexus 3600 Platform Switches and Cisco Nexus 9500-R Series Switching Platforms could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to trigger a Layer 2 traffic loop. This vulnerability is due to a logic error when processing a crafted Layer 2 ingress frame. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a stream of crafted Ethernet frames through the targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a Layer 2 Virtual eXtensible LAN (VxLAN) traffic loop, which, in turn, could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This Layer 2 loop could oversubscribe the bandwidth on network interfaces, which would result in all data plane traffic being dropped. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must be Layer 2-adjacent to the affected device. Note: To stop active exploitation of this vulnerability, manual intervention is required to both stop the crafted traffic and flap all involved network interfaces. For additional assistance if a Layer 2 loop that is related to this vulnerability is suspected, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or the proper support provider. 

CVSS Scores

CVSS v3.1

7.4 - HIGH

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

SSVC Information

Exploitation
none
Technical Impact
partial

Exploit Status

Exploited in the Wild
Yes (2026-06-01 11:10:29 UTC) Source

Known Exploited Vulnerability Information

Source Added Date
CVE 2026-06-01 11:10:29 UTC

Timeline

  • CVE ID Reserved

  • CVE Published to Public

  • Added to KEVIntel