CVE-2026-20211: Cisco ISE · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.1 Critical.
Data as of 31 Oct 2026, 20:20 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 58% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 31 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| CiscoCisco Identity Services Engine Software | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is available, restrict access to high-privileged administrative accounts and monitor for suspicious activity involving serialized Java objects. Consider deploying multi-node configurations to mitigate denial-of-service impact in single-node setups.
Description
CVE-2026-20211 is a critical vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) that allows an authenticated attacker with high-privileged administrative credentials to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. The flaw arises from insecure deserialization of Java objects. Exploitation involves sending a crafted serialized Java object to the affected device, potentially leading to user-level access and privilege escalation to root. In single-node deployments, exploitation can cause a denial-of-service condition by making the node unavailable, disrupting network access for unauthenticated endpoints.