Vulnerability · Published Jul 20, 2026 · Assigned by ExtremeNetworks
CVE-2026-8169ExtremeXOS Debug-Mode Privilege Escalation via Weak PRNG
High 8.7
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in Switch Engine (EXOS) from Extreme Networks. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.4% (higher than 32% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
ExtremeXOS (EXOS) uses a challenge-response mechanism to authorize access to the privileged debug-mode function. The challenge value is generated using an insufficiently random source, which under certain conditions may allow an attacker to predict the expected response and activate debug-mode without authorization. Depending on device configuration and version, this may enable escalation to root-level access and persistent modification of the device software stack. Exploitation requires either a valid low-privilege account on the device (remote scenario) or physical serial console access (local scenario). This vulnerability is distinct from CVE-2017-14329, which addressed a different issue involving Python script privileges. Extreme would like to thank Hadrien Barral (Université Gustave Eiffel) and Georges-Axel Jaloyan (French Ministry of the Interior) for responsible disclosure of their findings.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Extreme Networks | Switch Engine (EXOS) | 0 – before 31.7.432.0.0 – before 32.7.4.1533.0.0 – before 33.1.10033.2.0 – before 33.7.1 |
Weakness: CWE-338 · Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
References
- Extreme Networks Product Security vendor-advisory