CVE-2025-20283: 
Cisco ISE vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A vulnerability (CVE-2025-20283) was discovered in a specific API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC). The vulnerability was disclosed on July 16, 2025, and allows an authenticated remote attacker with valid high-privileged credentials to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as root. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC, including versions 3.3.0 and 3.4.0 and their associated patches (Cisco Advisory, NVD).

The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input in a specific API. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (Medium) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. It is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component). The attack requires network access and high privileges but no user interaction (Cisco Advisory).

A successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to execute commands as the root user on the affected system. The impact is significant as it provides complete control over the affected system, potentially compromising the security and integrity of the Cisco ISE infrastructure (NVD).

Cisco has released software updates to address this vulnerability. For version 3.3, users should upgrade to 3.3 Patch 7, and for version 3.4, users should upgrade to 3.4 Patch 2. There are no workarounds available for this vulnerability, making it critical for affected users to apply the provided patches (Cisco Advisory).

The vulnerability was reported by Kentaro Kawane of GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative (Cisco Advisory).