Cisco has recently addressed two critical security vulnerabilities in its Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) that could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges. These vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2025-20281 and CVE-2025-20282, each carry a maximum Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score of 10.0, indicating their severity.
Overview of the Vulnerabilities
– CVE-2025-20281: This vulnerability affects Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC versions 3.3 and later. It arises from insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this flaw by sending a specially crafted API request, potentially gaining elevated privileges and executing arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system as the root user.
– CVE-2025-20282: Present in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC version 3.4, this vulnerability results from inadequate file validation checks. An unauthenticated, remote attacker could upload arbitrary files to an affected device and execute them with root privileges. This flaw allows malicious files to be stored and executed on the system, leading to full system compromise.
Technical Details
– CVE-2025-20281: The vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the API of Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC. By sending a crafted API request, an attacker can bypass security measures, leading to unauthorized command execution with root privileges. This flaw is particularly concerning because it does not require authentication, making it accessible to remote attackers without valid credentials.
– CVE-2025-20282: This issue is due to a lack of proper file validation mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this by uploading malicious files to privileged directories on the affected system. Once uploaded, these files can be executed, granting the attacker root-level access. The absence of authentication requirements further exacerbates the risk, as any remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability.
Affected Versions
– CVE-2025-20281: Affects Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC versions 3.3 and later.
– CVE-2025-20282: Affects Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC version 3.4.
Mitigation Measures
Cisco has released patches to address these vulnerabilities:
– CVE-2025-20281: Fixed in Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC 3.3 Patch 6 and 3.4 Patch 2.
– CVE-2025-20282: Fixed in Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC 3.4 Patch 2.
Administrators are strongly advised to apply these patches immediately to mitigate potential risks. Cisco has stated that there are no workarounds for these vulnerabilities, making prompt patching essential.
Implications for Organizations
The exploitation of these vulnerabilities could have severe consequences, including:
– Unauthorized access to sensitive data.
– Execution of arbitrary commands with root privileges.
– Potential disruption of services.
Given the critical nature of these flaws, organizations using affected versions of Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC should prioritize updating their systems to the patched versions to prevent potential exploitation.
Conclusion
The discovery and patching of CVE-2025-20281 and CVE-2025-20282 highlight the importance of regular system updates and vigilant security practices. Organizations must stay informed about such vulnerabilities and act swiftly to apply necessary patches to safeguard their systems against potential threats.
