CVE-2026-20283: Cisco Identity Services Engine IPSec Open API Command Injection Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the IPsec Open API endpoint of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to inject arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input in IPsec Open API calls. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted input to the IPsec Open API endpoint on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials and the node must have more than one network interface, one of which must be configured as an active IPsec tunnel. Note: For CVE-2026-20283, Cisco has assigned a Security Impact Rating (SIR) of High rather than Medium as the score indicates. The reason is that it is easy to get to root from the achieved privilege level.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions are required for exploitation?
An attacker must be authenticated with valid administrative credentials. The affected node must also have more than one network interface, with at least one interface configured as an active IPsec tunnel.
What level of access could an attacker gain after successful exploitation?
Successful exploitation allows arbitrary command execution on the underlying operating system. Cisco rates the security impact as High because reaching root from the achieved privilege level is considered easy.
Are deployments without an active IPsec tunnel exposed to this exploit path?
The stated exploitation requirements include an active IPsec tunnel on one of multiple network interfaces. Based on the available information, a node that does not meet those conditions does not satisfy the documented prerequisites for exploitation.