CVE-2025-20281 Cisco Identity Services Engine: command or code injection
In plain words: The program treats text it receives as instructions instead of plain data. The attacker can run commands on the machine — often the whole device is taken over.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline Aug 18, 2025
What to do
- Install Cisco's security update for Identity Services Engine. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Patch edge devices first — attackers often start scanning for them within hours of a fix.
- Never expose the device's admin page to the internet.
- After patching a device that was exposed, follow the vendor's compromise checks, end active sessions and change passwords.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: They face the internet and guard the whole network, so a flaw here can hand attackers a way in — and these devices usually run no antivirus, so break-ins go unnoticed.
The details
- Official name
- Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection Vulnerability
- Product
- Cisco Identity Services Engine
- CISA description
- 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.
- Type of flaw
- Command or code injection (CWE-74)
- Confirmed exploited
- Jul 28, 2025
- US federal patch deadline
- Aug 18, 2025
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Answering about CVE-2025-20281 ·
Questions about CVE-2025-20281
Is CVE-2025-20281 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2025-20281 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Jul 28, 2025, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2025-20281?
Install Cisco's security update for Identity Services Engine. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Patch edge devices first — attackers often start scanning for them within hours of a fix.
Am I affected by CVE-2025-20281?
Only if you use Cisco Identity Services Engine. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.