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Weekly Signal
Live intelligence Updated 19 Aug 2026 · 12:58 UTC

Cisco · Identity Services Engine, Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector

CVE-2025-20281

Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection Vulnerability

Recommended action

Treat this as an immediate remediation priority. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

View response plan
CVSS10.0
EPSS97.1%
KEVYes
ExploitationConfirmed exploitation
PatchPatch or guidance available ↓

Assessment

Why it matters

CISA lists this vulnerability as known to be exploited; exploitation is confirmed; EPSS is 97.1%; technical severity is CVSS 10.0.

A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as root. The attacker does not require any valid credentials to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted API request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain root privileges on an affected device.

Who should care

  • Teams operating Identity Services Engine, Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector
  • Vulnerability and exposure management teams
  • Security operations teams monitoring exploitation activity

Response plan

What I would do

  1. Confirm whether Identity Services Engine, Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector is present in the environment.
  2. Identify affected versions and establish whether vulnerable services are exposed or reachable.
  3. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
  4. Review relevant security telemetry for evidence of attempted or successful exploitation.
  5. Document the remediation decision and track it to verified completion.

Vendor remediation

Patch and remediation links

Use the vendor source below to confirm the correct fixed version, package or mitigation for your affected product.

Technical details

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE
CWE-74
Affected versions
Cisco Identity Services Engine (Version: 3.4.0); Cisco Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector (Version: 3.4.0)
Published
25 June 2025
Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None

Signal timeline

  1. CVE published
  2. Added to CISA KEV
  3. Latest EPSS score: 97.1%
  4. Signal calculated at 85

External references

Live public intelligence This assessment combines public-source evidence. Validate the affected product, version and exposure against your own environment before making a risk decision.