CVE-2026-20176: Cisco Identity Services Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Published Sep 16, 2026
·
Updated

A vulnerability in Cisco ISE 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 high-privileged 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 system-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 DoS condition. In that condition, endpoints that have not already authenticated would be unable to access the network until the node is restored.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Event History

Sep 16, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·08:08 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·08:08 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

1

Is exposure to the HTTP service alone sufficient for exploitation?

No. Exploitation requires a remote attacker to have valid high-privileged administrative credentials and send a crafted HTTP request to an affected device.

2

What is the availability impact for a single-node deployment?

Successful exploitation can make the ISE node unavailable. Endpoints that have not already authenticated would be unable to access the network until the node is restored.

Contact

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