CVE-2026-20181: Cisco Identity Services Engine Software · Path Traversal
Affects Cisco Identity Services Engine SoftwareSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.1 Critical.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 20:25 UTC
- EPSS
- 8.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 95% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| CiscoCisco Identity Services Engine Software | Affected
| Fixed in– |
| CiscoCisco ISE Passive Identity Connector | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is available, restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only and monitor for suspicious activity involving HTTP requests. Follow Cisco's guidance once published.
Description
CVE-2026-20181 is a critical vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) software versions 3.1.0 through 3.5.0. It allows an authenticated attacker with administrative credentials to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system by exploiting insufficient validation of user-supplied input via crafted HTTP requests. Successful exploitation can lead to privilege escalation to root and, in single-node deployments, cause denial of service by making the ISE node unavailable, disrupting network access for unauthenticated endpoints.