CVE-2026-20211: Cisco Identity Services Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
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 insecure deserialization of Java objects by the affected software. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted serialized Java object 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 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
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can exploit this vulnerability?
An attacker must be able to reach the affected Cisco ISE device remotely and possess valid high-privileged administrative credentials. No user interaction is required.
What level of access could an attacker gain?
Successful exploitation can provide user-level access to the underlying operating system, followed by privilege escalation to root. The attacker can execute arbitrary commands through a crafted serialized Java object.
What is the operational impact for a single-node deployment?
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.