CVE-2026-20047VulnerabilityPublished 15 Jan 2026Updated 26 Feb 2026

CVE-2026-20047: Cisco Identity Services Engine Software · Basic XSS

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 19% 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 15 Jan 2026
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
CiscoCisco Identity Services Engine Software	Affected =3.1.0 =3.2.0 =3.3.0 =3.4.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Apply official Cisco patches or updates as soon as they become available for all affected Cisco ISE versions. 2. Restrict administrative access to the Cisco ISE management interface using network segmentation, VPNs, or IP allowlists to limit exposure. 3. Enforce strong multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 4. Regularly audit and monitor administrative account usage and login attempts for suspicious activity. 5. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers on the management interface to mitigate the impact of injected scripts. 6. Educate administrators about phishing and social engineering risks that could lead to credential theft. 7. Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block XSS payloads targeting the management interface. 8. Conduct periodic security assessments and penetration tests focused on the Cisco ISE environment to identify and remediate weaknesses. 9. Limit the number of users with administrative privileges to the minimum necessary. 10. Monitor Cisco security advisories for updates or additional mitigation guidance.

Description

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against a user of the interface. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface of an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious code into specific pages of the interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the affected interface or access sensitive, browser-based information. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-20047 is the compromise of confidentiality and integrity within the Cisco ISE management interface. An attacker who gains administrative credentials and network access to the interface can execute malicious scripts, potentially stealing session cookies, credentials, or manipulating the interface to perform unauthorized actions. This could lead to further compromise of network access control policies, unauthorized device access, or lateral movement within the network. While availability is not directly affected, the breach of administrative control can have cascading effects on network security posture. Organizations relying heavily on Cisco ISE for identity and access management in enterprise or critical infrastructure environments face increased risk of targeted attacks. The requirement for valid admin credentials limits the scope but insider threats or credential theft scenarios increase the risk. The vulnerability could be leveraged in multi-stage attacks to escalate privileges or maintain persistence.

References

sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-xss-964cdxW5 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 27 Feb 2026, 07:50 UTC

Technical details

References

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