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ExploitedIn CISA KEV

CVE-2025-20281

Exploitation confirmed. First attested on 2025-07-13 by CISA-ADP, CISA KEV, GCVE · kevintel, GCVE · shadowserver.

  • Published2025-06-25
  • WeaknessCWE-74

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

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.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2025-06-2516:15CVE publishedNVD
  2. 2025-07-1323:26Listed as exploited by GCVEGCVE
  3. 2025-07-1323:26Exploitation first reportedGCVE
  4. 2025-07-2603:55SSVC exploitation set to activeCISA-ADP
  5. 2025-07-28Added to the CISA KEV catalogCISA KEV

Versions per branch

NVD
Cisco identity services engine
BranchAffectedFixed in
3.3= 3.3.0no fix published
3.4= 3.4.0no fix published
Cisco identity services engine passive identity connector
BranchAffectedFixed in
3.3= 3.3.0no fix published
3.4= 3.4.0no fix published

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Products declared by the CNA1 product

As cisco, the CNA that assigned this CVE, declared them in the CVE record; versions as written.

  • Cisco Identity Services Engine Softwareother versions: unknown
    Affected
    • = 3.3.0no fix stated
    • = 3.3 Patch 2no fix stated
    • = 3.3 Patch 1no fix stated
    • = 3.3 Patch 3no fix stated
    • = 3.4.0no fix stated
    • = 3.3 Patch 4no fix stated
    • = 3.4 Patch 1no fix stated
    • = 3.3 Patch 5no fix stated

    1 more version line in the CVE record.

Source: the CNA record (CVE Program), © The MITRE Corporation,CVE Terms of UseCVE recordupdated 2025-07-25

Fix

  1. CISA’s required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.due 2025-08-18

Advisories and patches

Detection

read 2026-11-01 01:02 UTC
Nuclei template
available
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

Date Added
2025-07-28
Patch Due Date
2025-08-18
Ransomware Use
Unknown
Required Action
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published
2025-06-25
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Analyzed
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-rc4f-42xm-hvjw

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-20281?

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.

Is CVE-2025-20281 actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2025-20281 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, meaning it has been confirmed as actively exploited in the wild. CISA requires federal agencies to patch by 2025-08-18.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 has a CVSS v3 base score of 10 (CRITICAL severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.

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Sources for this record