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CVE-2025-20281

Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection

10.0 CRITICALActively exploited (CISA KEV)Public exploitEPSS 97.6%
  1. Published25 Jun 2025
  2. Added to CISA KEV28 Jul 2025
  3. Remediation due18 Aug 2025
Actively exploited (CISA KEV)

Cisco Identity Services Engine contains an injection vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input allowing an attacker to exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted API request. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to perform remote code execution and obtaining root privileges on an affected device.

Added to KEV: 28 Jul 2025Federal remediation due: 18 Aug 2025

Description

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.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Cisco Identity Services Engine3.3.0 · 3.4.0
Cisco Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector3.3.0 · 3.4.0

Remediation

No fixed version is recorded in the NVD data. Check the vendor advisory for the latest guidance.

References

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Frequently asked

Is CVE-2025-20281 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2025-20281 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 28 Jul 2025.

How severe is CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0, rated critical. EPSS estimates a 97.6% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2025-20281?

Affected products include Cisco Identity Services Engine, Cisco Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector.

How do I fix CVE-2025-20281?

Apply the vendor's patch or advisory guidance, then verify no affected versions remain across your devices.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-20281 against the real software inventory on every managed device, as each hourly inventory arrives. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, a risk for it never ranks below high, and the update that fixes it moves to the Emergency patch lane. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.