ExploitPublished 11 Aug 2025

Cisco ISE 3.0 · Authorization Bypass

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Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar

Data as of 8 Nov 2025, 02:50 UTC

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Implement strict network segmentation to isolate Cisco ISE servers from untrusted networks and limit access to management interfaces only to authorized personnel and systems. 2. Employ robust network monitoring and intrusion detection systems to detect anomalous access patterns or unauthorized attempts to interact with Cisco ISE. 3. Restrict administrative access to Cisco ISE consoles and APIs using multi-factor authentication and IP whitelisting where possible. 4. Regularly audit Cisco ISE logs for signs of unauthorized access or configuration changes. 5. Temporarily disable or restrict non-essential services and interfaces on Cisco ISE that could be exploited remotely. 6. Stay informed on Cisco advisories and apply patches or updates immediately once available. 7. Consider deploying web application firewalls or reverse proxies to add an additional layer of access control and filtering for Cisco ISE management endpoints. 8. Conduct internal penetration testing and vulnerability assessments focused on Cisco ISE to identify and remediate potential exploitation paths.

Description

Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses significant risks due to the widespread use of Cisco ISE in enterprise and governmental networks for enforcing network access policies. Unauthorized access to Cisco ISE could allow attackers to manipulate network access controls, potentially granting unauthorized users access to sensitive internal resources or disrupting legitimate user access. This could lead to data breaches, compliance violations (especially under GDPR), and operational disruptions. Critical infrastructure sectors such as finance, healthcare, and telecommunications, which heavily rely on Cisco ISE for secure network management, are particularly vulnerable. The ability to exploit this vulnerability remotely without authentication increases the likelihood of targeted attacks or opportunistic exploitation. The compromise of network access controls could also facilitate lateral movement within networks, amplifying the impact of subsequent attacks. The absence of patches means organizations must rely on network segmentation, monitoring, and access restrictions to mitigate risk in the short term.

Indicators of compromise

Exploit source code

Exploit code for Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass6,051 characters

# Exploit Title: Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass
# Exploit Author: @ibrahimsql ibrahimsql.com
# Exploit Author's github: https://github.com/ibrahmsql
# Description: Cisco ISE API Authorization Bypass
# CVE: CVE-2025-20125
# Vendor Homepage: https://www.cisco.com/
# Requirements: requests>=2.25.0, urllib3>=1.26.0
# Usage: python3 CVE-2025-20125.py --url https://ise.target.com --session TOKEN --read

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import requests
import sys
import argparse
im…

References

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