Critical severity · published Jun 17, 2026
CVE-2026-20181
Cisco Identity Services Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
9.1
CVSS
8.9%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
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.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Changed
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)8.9% · higher than 95% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
CI
Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector · Cisco
3.2.0; 3.1.0; 3.3.0; 3.4.0; 3.5.0 · source: vendor
CI
Cisco Identity Services Engine Software · Cisco
3.1.0; 3.1.0 p1; 3.1.0 p3; 3.1.0 p2; 3.2.0; 3.1.0 p4; +34 more · source: vendor
IS
Identity Services Engine · Cisco
before 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; +16 more · source: NVD
IS
Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector · Cisco
before 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; 3.3.0; +12 more · source: NVD
In the news
VulnerabilityHigh
ZDI-26-579: Cisco Identity Services Engine zipFiles Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Cisco Identity Services Engine. Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. The ZDI has assigned a CVSS rating of 7.2. The following CVEs are assigned: CVE-2026-20181.
Aug 13, 2026·Zero Day Initiative
VulnerabilityCritical
Cisco fixed a critical ISE vulnerability that lets attackers to gain root access
Cisco addressed CVE-2026-20181, a critical ISE vulnerability that lets authenticated admins execute commands and gain root access. Cisco addressed a critical command execution vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20181 (CVSS score of 9.1), affecting Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE-PIC. The flaw stems from improper validation of user-supplied input, allowing an authenticated attacker with administrative credentials to […]
Jun 18, 2026·Security Affairs
VulnerabilityCritical
Cisco fixed a critical ISE vulnerability that lets attackers to gain root access
Cisco addressed CVE-2026-20181, a critical ISE vulnerability that lets authenticated admins execute commands and gain root access. Cisco addressed a critical command execution vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20181 (CVSS score of 9.1), affecting Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE-PIC. The flaw stems from improper validation of user-supplied input, allowing an authenticated attacker with administrative credentials to […]
Jun 18, 2026·Security Affairs
Affected product
CI
Cisco Identity Services Engine Software
Cisco
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