Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection Vulnerability
Cisco Identity Services Engine contains an injection vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input allowing an attacker to exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted API request. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to perform remote code execution and obtaining root privileges on an affected device.
- Vendor
- Cisco
- Product
- Identity Services Engine
- CVSS
- 10.0
- EPSS (exploit probability)
- 97.6%
- Status
- kev
- CISA patch-by (BOD 22-01)
- Added to KEV
Is CVE-2025-20281 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2025-20281 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on . CISA only lists a CVE when it has reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild.
FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 97.6% (scored October 14, 2026).
- CISA KEV[ LISTED ]
- ENISA EUVD (exploited)[ — ]
- CIRCL KEV[ — ]
Catalog snapshot 2026-11-13. Full cross-catalog view: /kev-comparison
CVE-2025-20281 timeline
Every event links to its source. Catalog dates are each catalog's own; day offsets count from NVD publication. Data: JSON
What to do
CISA required actionApply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
US federal civilian agencies must remediate by (21 days after listing) under BOD 22-01. Everyone else: that deadline is a sensible upper bound, not a target. Vendor guidance and the NVD record are linked under Source above.
Other Cisco Identity Services Engine CVEs we track
| CVE / Vulnerability | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Added to KEV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-76460 Cisco Identity Services Engine Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerabilitywrite-up | [ CRITICAL ] | 10.0 | 75.6% | |
| CVE-2025-20337 Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection Vulnerability | [ CRITICAL ] | 10.0 | 74.5% |