What Just Happened with the Cisco Zero-Day?
On January 21st, Cisco confirmed that CVE-2026-20045—a critical vulnerability in their HTTP web services—is being actively exploited in the wild. CISA immediately added it to their Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, giving federal agencies until February 11th to patch.
But here's what most small business owners miss: when CISA issues deadlines for federal agencies, it's a massive red flag for everyone else too. If attackers are targeting government systems, they're absolutely targeting yours.
Why Small Businesses Should Care About Enterprise Vulnerabilities
You might think, "We don't use Cisco equipment" or "We're too small to be a target." Unfortunately, that's exactly the mindset attackers count on.
Here's the reality:
- 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses according to recent studies
- Supply chain attacks mean your vendors' vulnerabilities become your problem
- Automated attack tools don't discriminate by company size—they scan everything
When a zero-day like CVE-2026-20045 drops, attackers immediately build automated scanners to find vulnerable systems across the entire internet. They're not manually selecting targets; they're casting a wide net and seeing what they catch.
Understanding the CISA KEV Catalog
The Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog is one of the most underutilized free resources available to small businesses. When CISA adds a vulnerability to this list, it means:
- The vulnerability is confirmed exploited—not theoretical, actually being used
- Patches or mitigations exist—there's something you can do about it
- The risk is immediate—attackers are active right now
For Ohio businesses seeking SB 220 safe harbor protection, or government contractors working toward CMMC Level 1 compliance, monitoring the KEV catalog should be part of your regular security routine. It demonstrates due diligence and proactive risk management.
Practical Steps to Protect Your Business
1. Know What You Have
You can't patch what you don't know exists. The first step in protecting against any vulnerability—zero-day or otherwise—is maintaining an accurate inventory of your systems, software, and network devices.
This includes: - All servers and workstations - Network equipment (routers, switches, firewalls) - Cloud services and SaaS applications - IoT devices (printers, cameras, access control systems)
2. Implement Regular Vulnerability Scanning
Manual security checks might have worked a decade ago, but the pace of new vulnerabilities makes that approach impossible today. Automated vulnerability scanning helps you:
- Identify known vulnerabilities before attackers do
- Prioritize patches based on actual risk
- Document your security posture for compliance requirements
- Track remediation progress over time
For small businesses and MSPs, the key is finding scanning solutions that provide enterprise-grade detection without enterprise-grade complexity or cost.
3. Establish a Patch Management Process
When the next zero-day drops, you need a process ready to go:
- Who is responsible for evaluating and deploying patches?
- How quickly can you test and roll out critical updates?
- What's your communication plan if systems need to go offline?
For critical vulnerabilities in the KEV catalog, aim to patch within 48-72 hours when possible. Yes, that's aggressive, but active exploitation means the risk of waiting outweighs the risk of a rushed patch.
4. Layer Your Defenses
No single security measure stops everything. Build layers:
- Perimeter security: Firewalls, email filtering
- Endpoint protection: Antivirus, EDR solutions
- Access controls: MFA, least-privilege principles
- Monitoring: Log collection, anomaly detection
- Vulnerability management: Regular scanning and patching
When one layer fails—and eventually, one will—the others provide backup protection.
What This Means for Compliance
If you're a government contractor pursuing CMMC Level 1, or an Ohio business documenting your cybersecurity program under SB 220, zero-day response is directly relevant to your compliance posture.
CMMC Level 1 requires basic cyber hygiene, including identifying and remediating vulnerabilities. SB 220 safe harbor requires demonstrating a "reasonably designed" cybersecurity program. In both cases, having documented processes for:
- Monitoring threat intelligence (like the KEV catalog)
- Conducting regular vulnerability assessments
- Patching critical vulnerabilities promptly
...strengthens your compliance position significantly.
The Bottom Line
Zero-day vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-20045 will keep coming. The question isn't whether your business will face a critical vulnerability—it's whether you'll know about it in time to respond.
Building a proactive security posture doesn't require a massive budget or a dedicated security team. It requires consistent basics: know your assets, scan for vulnerabilities regularly, patch promptly, and document your efforts.
The businesses that treat security as an ongoing process—rather than a one-time project—are the ones that stay off the breach notification lists.