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CVE-2026-20181· NVD / CVE Program· CNA cisco

Cisco Identity Services Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

A vulnerability in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain user-level access to the underlying operating system and then elevate privileges to root. In single-node deployments, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause the affected ISE node to become unavailable, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. In that condition, endpoints that have not already authenticated would be unable to access the network until the node is restored.

CriticalCVSS 9.1 · v3.1—No exploit No fix recorded

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Published
Jun 17, 2026
Updated
Sep 25, 2026
EPSS
8.9% · 95th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

39

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
36 / 40 · 9.1 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
3 / 30 · 8.9%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · cisco
9.1
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
ciscoidentity services engine
ciscoidentity services engine passive identity connector

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • cisco identity services enginebefore 3.3.0
  • cisco identity services engine3.3.0
  • cisco identity services engine3.4.0
  • cisco identity services engine3.5.0
  • cisco identity services engine passive identity connectorbefore 3.3.0
  • cisco identity services engine passive identity connector3.3.0
  • cisco identity services engine passive identity connector3.4.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (cisco). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Cisco Cisco Identity Services Engine Software

    • 3.1.0, 3.1.0 p1, 3.1.0 p3, 3.1.0 p2, 3.2.0, 3.1.0 p4, 3.1.0 p5, 3.2.0 p1, 3.1.0 p6, 3.2.0 p2, 3.1.0 p7, 3.3.0 … (+28)affected

  • Cisco Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector

    • 3.2.0, 3.1.0, 3.3.0, 3.4.0, 3.5.0affected

Same product

cisco: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2025-20281Cisco ISE API Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityKEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2025-20337Cisco ISE API Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2026-76460Cisco Identity Services Engine Authentication Bypass VulnerabilityKEV
    74This week
  • CVE-2025-20282Cisco ISE API Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    52Plan
  • CVE-2022-20964A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to inj
    44Plan
  • CVE-2026-20186Cisco Identity Services Engine Multiple Authenticated Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    41Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-2018063 days apartCisco Identity Services Engine Multiple Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    41Plan
  • CVE-2026-2014863 days apartCisco Identity Services Engine Path Traversal Vulnerability
    21Monitor
  • CVE-2026-7643391 days apartCisco Identity Services Engine Information Disclosure Vulnerability
    21Monitor
  • CVE-2026-7643191 days apartCisco Identity Services Engine Arbitrary File Deletion Vulnerability
    19Monitor
  • CVE-2026-7643291 days apartCisco Identity Services Engine Arbitrary File Write Vulnerability
    19Monitor
  • CVE-2026-7643491 days apartCisco Identity Services Engine Arbitrary File Read Vulnerability
    19Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Root cause

A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-22 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);

Fixed

ts
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {  return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records