Cisco controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2026
Cisco identifies products affected by PHP2Shell vulnerabilities
Issue disclosure
Cisco identified several of its products as affected by the PHP2Shell vulnerabilities. The company stated that it was continuing to investigate potential exposure in other products. The disclosure concerned which Cisco products are affected by the vulnerabilities and whether additional products may be exposed; Cisco did not, in the available statement, specify the affected products, describe the vulnerabilities in detail, or report any exploitation, remediation, or outcome. The information was reported in a security news update dated October 27, 2026.
Cisco identified several products affected by the PHP2Shell vulnerabilities and said it was continuing to investigate potential exposure in other products.
Company response
Investigation — Cisco
Cisco has identified several products affected by the PHP2Shell vulnerabilities, while continuing to investigate the potential for exposure to the flaws in other products
Source excerpt
Cisco has identified several products affected by the PHP2Shell vulnerabilities, while continuing to investigate the potential for exposure to the flaws in other products, according to an advisory updated Monday.
2022
Exit from Russia and asset disposal
Cisco ended sales and support in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Reports that the company disposed of equipment and other assets, and wrote off certain obligations, attracted scrutiny in business and Russian media coverage.
2021
Cisco files patent complaint against Estech
Lawsuit filed
Cisco Systems filed suit against Estech Systems alleging willful infringement of three Cisco patents related to VoIP, and sought declaratory relief concerning non-infringement.
Company response
Denial — Cisco
“We were fully in compliance with all laws as well as our own policies.”
Denial — Cisco
Cisco will vigorously defend itself against the allegations made in this complaint.
Investigation — Cisco
We have robust processes to report and investigate concerns raised by employees which were followed in this case dating back to 2016, and have determined we were fully in compliance with all laws as well as our own policies.
Source excerpt
Cisco Systems Inc. filed suit against Estech Systems Inc. for the willful infringement of three of its patents relating to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) on Thursday.
Additionally, the Eastern District of Texas complaint asks for declaratory relief concerning its non-infringement patents that are the subject of other Estech-initiated infringement litigation.
“We were fully in compliance with all laws as well as our own policies.”
2021
Cisco sues Wolon over alleged counterfeit transceivers
Lawsuit filed
Cisco filed a lawsuit against Wuhan Wolon Communication Technology and Wuhan Wolon Cloud Network Communication Technology, alleging that transceivers were sold displaying Cisco trademarks. Cisco sought an injunction and damages.
Source excerpt
The filing set forth five claims for relief under California and federal law for trademark and copyright infringement, dilution, false advertising, and unfair competition.
Through a complaint filed last Friday in the Northern District of California, Cisco Systems Inc. and Cisco Technology Inc. (together, Cisco) brought an action seeking damages and injunctive relief against Wuhan Wolon Communication Technology Co. Ltd. and Wuhan Wolon Cloud Network Communication Technology Co. Ltd. (together, Wolon) in connection with transceivers allegedly sold with the plaintiff’s trademarks.
2020
Cisco discloses AnyConnect vulnerability and security update
Hazard disclosure
Cisco published a security advisory disclosing a file-corruption vulnerability in the uninstall component of the Cisco AnyConnect Mac OS client and said it had addressed the vulnerability in a newer version.
Source excerpt
Cisco公告表示，攻击者能够利用该漏洞破坏系统中任何目标文件内容，目前Cisco已在新版本中对该漏洞进行了安全更新
7 月1日，思科Cisco在官网上发布了最新安全公告，公开致谢了360 网络安全响应中心（360-CERT）团队协助发现了存在于Cisco AnyConnect的Mac OS客户端卸载程序组件中的文件损坏漏洞（CVE-2020-3432）。
2019
Cisco amends trade-secret lawsuit to add Poly
Lawsuit filed
Cisco amended its ongoing US lawsuit to add Poly and its executive vice president Thomas Puorro, alleging trade-secret misappropriation and related conduct. Poly disputed the allegations and said it intended to defend itself in court.
Company response
Denial — Poly
Poly disputes the allegations and intends to defend them in court
Source excerpt
Poly disputes the allegations and intends to defend them in court
Cisco’s executive vice president and chief legal officer Mark Chandler revealed on 17 December that the vendor has now added Poly and Puorro to the litigation.
Cisco is suing one of its unifed communications partners for alleged trade secret misappropriation in the United States.
2019
Cisco sues three former employees over alleged trade-secret theft
Lawsuit filed
Cisco sued three former senior employees, accusing them of taking confidential information when they left for a competitor. The allegations are described in the complaint; the article reports no court determination.
Source excerpt
according to the complaint filed Monday in federal court in San Jose, California.
Cisco Systems Inc. sued three former senior employees whom it accused of stealing thousands of files containing confidential information when they defected to a competitor.
2001
Stanford intellectual-property dispute
Cisco’s early development was connected to Stanford networking technology. The university considered legal action concerning the use of software, hardware designs, and related intellectual property; Stanford later licensed router software and hardware to Cisco. The episode remains part of the company’s founding history and has generated continuing debate over credit for the original technology.