Cisco Identity Services Engine Root RCE (CVE-2025-20337)

Historical catalog analysis: CISA added this entry on July 28, 2025. The entry reflects catalog information retrieved on August 31, 2026, not a snapshot archived on the inclusion date. Check current vendor guidance before acting.

What the vulnerability is

CVE-2025-20337 is an injection vulnerability (CWE-74) affecting Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE-PIC. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input within a specific API. An attacker could exploit this by submitting a crafted API request, potentially resulting in remote code execution (RCE) with root privileges on the affected device.

Exposure and applicability

This vulnerability applies to organizations deploying Cisco ISE or Cisco ISE-PIC. Because the entry path is via an API, exposure depends on the accessibility of the management interfaces to untrusted networks. The ability to execute code at the root level represents a significant escalation of privilege, as it grants full administrative control over the identity services infrastructure.

Remediation priorities

Based on our analysis, vulnerability management teams should prioritize actions in the following order:

1. Asset Identification: Locate all instances of Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC within the environment to determine the total attack surface.
2. Vendor Mitigation Application: Apply the specific mitigations provided by Cisco. For cloud-based services, organizations should align their response with BOD 22-01 guidance.
3. Service Decommissioning: In scenarios where vendor mitigations are unavailable or cannot be applied, the product should be discontinued to eliminate the risk of root-level compromise.
4. Federal Compliance: U.S. federal agencies must prioritize remediation to meet the CISA deadline of August 18, 2025.

How to validate remediation

To ensure exposure has been reduced, defenders should move beyond simple version checks. Validation should include:

• Configuration Audit: Confirm that the specific API changes or patches recommended by the vendor are active and correctly configured on all identified nodes.
• Access Control Verification: Verify that API access is restricted to authorized administrative hosts, reducing the likelihood of an external attacker reaching the vulnerable endpoint.
• Vendor-Supported Testing: Use only authorized validation methods provided in the official Cisco security advisory to confirm the fix is operational without disrupting service.

Limits and open questions

It remains unknown whether this vulnerability has been utilized in known ransomware campaigns. Furthermore, while applying vendor mitigations reduces risk, residual risk may persist if the underlying API architecture allows for similar injection patterns elsewhere. Defenders should note that a successful patch application does not guarantee immunity from future vulnerabilities in the same API suite; it only addresses the specific flaw identified in CVE-2025-20337.

Source and editorial note

CVE-2025-20337: Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection Vulnerability · Source date: July 28, 2025 · Retrieved August 31, 2026.

Material facts are tied to the cited primary source. Recommendations are independent defensive analysis unless attributed to the source. Confirm consequential decisions against current authoritative guidance.

Archive date: July 31, 2025. The displayed post date is assigned three days after the source date to organize this retrospective archive; it does not mean this site published the analysis then. First published by this site: October 07, 2026 at 00:22 UTC.

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