CVE-2025-20289VulnerabilityPublished 5 Nov 2025Updated 4 Dec 2025

CVE-2025-20289: Cisco Identity Services Engine Software · Cross-site Scripting

Affects Cisco Identity Services Engine SoftwareSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.8 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.8Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 5 Nov 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Cisco Cisco Identity Services Engine Software	Affected =3.1.0 =3.2.0 =3.3.0 =3.4.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Apply the latest Cisco patches and updates for Cisco ISE as soon as they become available, prioritizing affected versions from 3.1.0 through 3.4 Patch 2. 2. Restrict access to the Cisco ISE web management interface to trusted administrators only, using network segmentation and firewall rules to limit exposure. 3. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), to reduce the risk of low-privileged account compromise. 4. Educate users and administrators about phishing and social engineering risks that could facilitate exploitation via user interaction. 5. Monitor web interface logs and network traffic for unusual or suspicious activity indicative of attempted XSS exploitation. 6. Consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and other web security controls on the management interface to mitigate the impact of injected scripts. 7. Regularly audit user privileges and remove unnecessary low-privileged accounts to reduce the attack surface. 8. Use web application firewalls (WAFs) where possible to detect and block malicious input patterns targeting the management interface.

Description

CVE-2025-20289 is a medium-severity reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) software's web management interface. It allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to inject malicious scripts into the interface, potentially executing arbitrary code in the context of the victim's browser session. Exploitation requires user interaction and valid credentials but can lead to disclosure of sensitive browser-based information and session hijacking. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Cisco ISE from 3.1.0 through 3.4 Patch 2. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. European organizations using Cisco ISE for network access control and policy enforcement should prioritize patching and implement strict access controls to mitigate risk. Countries with significant Cisco deployments and critical infrastructure reliance on Cisco ISE are most at risk.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those relying on Cisco ISE for network access control, policy enforcement, and identity management. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive session information, enabling attackers to impersonate legitimate users or administrators, potentially leading to further compromise of network resources. This could disrupt network security policies, allow lateral movement within the network, or expose confidential data. Given the widespread use of Cisco ISE in enterprise and critical infrastructure environments across Europe, the vulnerability poses a risk to sectors such as finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and government. The requirement for authentication and user interaction limits the attack scope but does not eliminate risk, particularly in environments with many users or where phishing/social engineering could be leveraged. The reflected XSS could also be used as a stepping stone for more complex attacks targeting network management and security controls.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-multiple-vulns-O9BESWJH (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Dec 2025, 22:17 UTC

Technical details

References

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