CVE-2025-20305VulnerabilityPublished 5 Nov 2025Updated 4 Dec 2025

CVE-2025-20305: Cisco Identity Services Engine Software · Insufficient Granularity of Access Control

Affects Cisco Identity Services Engine SoftwareSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 22% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
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: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
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: None: There is no loss of integrity within 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. Immediately apply Cisco’s security patches or updates once available for affected ISE versions to address the access control granularity issue. 2. Review and tighten role-based access control policies within Cisco ISE, ensuring that read-only Administrator roles do not have unnecessary visibility into sensitive data. 3. Implement strong multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 4. Conduct regular audits of user privileges and access logs to detect anomalous access patterns or attempts to view sensitive information. 5. Segment network access to Cisco ISE management interfaces, restricting access to trusted administrative networks and using VPNs or jump hosts where appropriate. 6. Educate administrators on the risks of credential exposure and enforce strict password management policies. 7. Monitor threat intelligence feeds and Cisco advisories for updates on exploit availability or additional mitigation guidance. 8. Consider deploying additional endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to detect lateral movement attempts that could follow credential exposure.

Description

CVE-2025-20305 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) software affecting versions 3.1.0 through 3.4 Patch 1. It allows an authenticated remote attacker with read-only Administrator privileges to access sensitive information, including passwords normally hidden from such users, due to insufficient granularity in access control on the web management interface. Exploitation does not require user interaction and can be performed remotely. Although the vulnerability does not impact system integrity or availability, it compromises confidentiality by exposing sensitive credentials. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. European organizations using affected Cisco ISE versions for network access control and policy enforcement should prioritize patching and review administrative privilege assignments to mitigate risk. Countries with significant Cisco enterprise deployments and critical infrastructure reliance on Cisco ISE are at higher risk.

Impact

For European organizations, the exposure of sensitive credentials within Cisco ISE can lead to significant security risks. Attackers gaining access to passwords normally restricted to high-privileged users could leverage these credentials to escalate privileges, move laterally within networks, or access critical systems. This is particularly concerning for enterprises and government agencies that use Cisco ISE to enforce network access policies and secure sensitive data flows. Confidentiality breaches could result in unauthorized access to protected resources, data leakage, and potential compliance violations under GDPR and other data protection regulations. Although the vulnerability does not directly impact system availability or integrity, the indirect consequences of credential exposure could lead to broader security incidents. Organizations with large Cisco ISE deployments in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and critical infrastructure are at heightened risk. The requirement for authenticated access limits exploitation to insiders or attackers who have already compromised lower-level credentials, but this does not diminish the threat posed by insider threats or credential theft. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation before widespread attacks occur.

References

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

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

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

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats