Amazon security boss says crims abused max-security Cisco firewall flaw weeks before disclosure

A critical flaw in Cisco's Secure Firewall Management Center software, identified as CVE-2026-20131, was exploited by ransomware attackers as a zero-day vulnerability over a month before a patch was released. This maximum-severity bug was leveraged by criminals to compromise targets, with Amazon's security team taking notice of the exploitation. The vulnerability was eventually patched, but not before it was actively used in the wild, highlighting the importance of timely patch management. The fact that ransomware groups were able to exploit this flaw weeks before its public disclosure¹ underscores the need for organizations to prioritize patching and monitoring of critical systems. This incident serves as a reminder that prompt action is necessary to mitigate the risk of zero-day exploits, so what matters most to security practitioners is the ability to quickly respond to emerging threats and apply patches before attackers can capitalize on newly disclosed vulnerabilities.