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Live Protect Shield
Cisco has released Live Protect shield for CVE-2026-20032 to temporarily mitigate this vulnerability in Cisco NX-OS Software.
For information about Live Protect for Cisco NX-OS Software, see Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Security Configuration Guide.
Note: Live Protect shield is a temporary mitigation to bridge the gap until software updates can be scheduled. To fully remediate this vulnerability, upgrade to a fixed software release, which can be found using the Cisco Software Checker.
Overview
A vulnerability in the Python interpreter of Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with low privileges to escape the Python sandbox and gain unauthorized access to the underlying operating system of an affected device.
For additional information, refer to the security advisory at the following link.
| Attribute |
Details |
| CVE ID |
CVE-2026-20032 |
| Shield ID |
lp00030 |
| Reference bug (IDs) |
CSCws98543 |
| Shield File |
lp00030-10.6.3-v1.lps |
Requirements
· Hardware:
● N9K-C92348GC-FX3
● N9K-C9336C-FX2
● N9K-C9332D-H2R
● N9K-C9332D-GX2B
● N9K-C9408
● N9K-C93180YC-FX
● N9K-C93108TC-FX
● N9K-C9348GC-FXP
● N9K-C93240YC-FX2
● N9K-C93360YC-FX2
● N9K-C93216TC-FX2
● N9K-C93180YC-FX3S
● N9K-C93180YC-FX3H
● N9K-C93180YC-FX3
● N9K-C93180YC-FX-24
● N9K-C93108TC-FX-24
● N9K-C93108TC-FX3
● N9K-C93108TC-FX3H
● N9K-C93108TC-FX3P
● N9K-C9348D-GX2A
● N9K-C9364D-GX2A
● N9K-C9364C-H1
● N9K-C9364C-GX
● N9K-C9364C-GX1
● N9K-C9348GC-FX3PH
● N9K-C9348GC-FX3
● N9K-C93400LD-H1
● N9K-C9336C-FX2-E
● N9K-9336C-SE1
● N9K-C9316D-GX
● N9K-C9336C
● N9K-C93600CD-GX
● N9396T12C-SE1
● N9324C-SE1U
● N9348Y2C6D-SE1U
● N9396Y12C-SE1
● N9348Y12C-SE1
● N9364E-SG2-O
● N9364E-SG2-Q
● N9336C-SE
● Access: SSH, Telnet, or NXAPI access required for shield deployment.
Supported Release(s)
Cisco NX-OS Release 10.6(3)
Shield behavior during Upgrade and Downgrade
Upgrade: When upgrading to NX-OS 10.6(4) or higher, shield operational mode transitions to N/A.
Downgrade: When downgrading to NX-OS 10.6(2), shield will not be removed. User must remove the shied prior to downgrade using nxsecure policy remove method. Refer to Live Protect Configuration Guide.
Verification & Deployment Flow
The following process map outlines the validation path after policy deployment:

Use the following command to confirm the shield is in enforce mode:
switch# show nxsecure policy status
Id Name Package Original Override Current Hits
lp00030 cve-py-escape lp00030-10.6.3-v1.lps enforce none enforce 1
To inspect the hit events, use:
switch# show nxsecure log lp00030
Policy Id : lp00030
Policy Name : cve-py-escape
Policy Severity : CRITICAL
Policy Event : Hit for CVE-2026-20032: Cisco NX-OS Software Python
Sandbox Escape Vulnerability
Policy Event History(last 20 events):
SNo Time Mode Process
1 2026 Oct 01 16:36:23 enforce /isan/bin/nxpython3
A syslog is received for every hit:
Syslog:
2026 Oct 1 22:06:23 switch %APPMGR-2-NXSECURE_CRIT_THREAT: Shield ID: lp00030, Mode: enforce, Msg : Hit for CVE-2026-20032: Cisco NX-OS Software Python Sandbox Escape Vulnerability
Reference
For detailed installation steps about Live Protect for Cisco NX-OS Software, see Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Security Configuration Guide.
To provide technical feedback on this document, or to report an error or omission, please send your comments to nexus9k-docfeedback@cisco.com. We appreciate your feedback.
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