CVE-2025-20286: Cisco ISE Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-20286 Overview

A vulnerability in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) cloud deployments of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access sensitive data, execute limited administrative operations, modify system configurations, or disrupt services within the impacted systems. This vulnerability results from improper credential generation leading to shared credentials across deployments.

Critical Impact

This issue enables attackers to access sensitive data and perform unauthorized operations.

Affected Products

• Amazon Web Services
• Microsoft Azure
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Discovery Timeline

• Not Available - Vulnerability discovered by Not Available
• Not Available - Responsible disclosure to Cisco
• Not Available - CVE CVE-2025-20286 assigned
• Not Available - Cisco releases security patch
• 2025-06-04 - CVE CVE-2025-20286 published to NVD
• 2025-10-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-20286

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability arises from the improper generation of credentials in cloud deployments of Cisco ISE. Multiple instances of Cisco ISE across the cloud can inadvertently share the same credentials, enabling unauthorized access.

Root Cause

The root cause is the incorrect method of credential generation during cloud deployments of Cisco ISE, leading to shared credentials across identical environments.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based. Remote attackers can leverage exposed credentials to access other cloud deployments via unsecured network interfaces.

# Hypothetical example of potential exploitation
import requests

url = "https://vulnerable-ise-instance.com/api"
credentials = {
    "username": "extracted_user",
    "password": "extracted_pass"
}

response = requests.get(url, auth=(credentials['username'], credentials['password']))

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("Access Successful: Extracting sensitive data...")

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-20286

Indicators of Compromise

• Unauthorized access logs
• Anomalous administrative activity
• Unexpected system configuration changes

Detection Strategies

Monitor network activity for unusual authentication attempts from unexpected IP addresses. Use behavioral analytics to identify deviations from normal admin access patterns.

Monitoring Recommendations

Implement centralized logging for cloud deployments and review regularly for signs of unauthorized access. Utilize SIEM solutions to correlate access logs across environments.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-20286

Immediate Actions Required

• Rotate all credentials associated with Cisco ISE instances immediately.
• Enhance network security measures, such as implementing IP whitelisting.
• Segregate network environments to limit lateral movement.

Patch Information

Visit the Cisco Advisory for detailed patch information.

Workarounds

Isolate cloud deployments by implementing stricter security group policies and using identity management solutions to strengthen access controls.

# Example configuration to update security group policies
aws ec2 describe-security-groups --group-ids sg-12345678 \
    --query 'SecurityGroups[*].{GroupName:GroupName,InboundRules:IpPermissions}'

# Modify and update policies accordingly
aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress --group-id sg-12345678 \
    --protocol tcp --port 443 --cidr 203.0.113.0/24