Description

Cisco has released a security advisory addressing two newly identified vulnerabilities affecting its Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC). These products are widely used for managing network access and enforcing security policies in enterprise environments. One of the vulnerabilities carries a critical severity rating and could allow attackers to execute malicious code on affected systems. The most severe issue, tracked as CVE-2026-20147 (CVSS 9.9), is caused by insufficient validation of user-supplied input within the web-based management interface. An authenticated attacker can exploit this flaw by sending specially crafted HTTP requests, leading to remote code execution. Successful exploitation provides access to the underlying system, which can be further escalated to full administrative control. In certain deployments, the vulnerability may also trigger service disruption, preventing network access for connected endpoints. The second vulnerability, CVE-2026-20148 (CVSS 4.9), involves a path traversal weakness that allows attackers to access restricted files on the system. By manipulating request paths, an authenticated user can retrieve sensitive information from the underlying operating system. Although less severe, this flaw still poses a risk to data confidentiality. Cisco has confirmed that no temporary mitigations are available, making timely patching essential. Organizations are advised to upgrade to the latest supported versions based on their current deployment. While there are no confirmed reports of active exploitation, the high severity of the remote code execution flaw makes it a priority for immediate remediation to prevent potential compromise.