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CVE-2025-20281

A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as root. The attacker does not require any valid credentials to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerabi…

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A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as root. The attacker does not require any valid credentials to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted API request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain root privileges on an affected device.
CVSS 10.0 (CRITICAL) KEV: KNOWN CATALOG

Attention and evidence

HYPE SCORE
0.0/10
REALITY · THREAT PRIORITY
9.0/10
General review priority; not probability

Evidence confidence: Exploitation recorded

Why this priority?
  • Recorded exploitation baseline: +7.00
  • Technical severity: CVSS 10: +1.50
  • Fresh EPSS: 97.60%: +0.49

General review priority, not probability, victim count or asset-specific risk. A range covers missing CVSS/EPSS inputs within the current evidence state.

Sources: 14 documents and public datasets.

Hype components

Headline sample (25%)
0/100
Press, 30 days (60%)
0/100
Grounded branding (15%)
0/100
HYPE TOTAL0/100

Sources and documents

https://tech-insider.org/
Press · 22 Sep 2026, 07:00 · Cisco ISE Zero-Day CVE-2026-76460: CVSS 10.0 Patch - https://tech-insider.org/
BleepingComputer
Press · 28 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Exploit available for critical Cisco ISE bug exploited in attacks - BleepingComputer
thezdi.com
Press · 25 Jul 2025, 07:00 · CVE-2025-20281: Cisco ISE API Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution Vulnerability - thezdi.com
Help Net Security
Press · 23 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Maximum severity Cisco ISE vulnerabilities exploited by attackers - Help Net Security
The Hacker News
Press · 22 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Cisco Confirms Active Exploits Targeting ISE Flaws Enabling Unauthenticated Root Access - The Hacker News
See all 14 source documents
Security Affairs
Press · 17 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Cisco patches critical CVE-2025-20337 bug in Identity Services Engine with CVSS 10 Severity - Security Affairs
SecurityWeek
Press · 17 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Cisco Patches Another Critical ISE Vulnerability - SecurityWeek
The Hacker News
Press · 17 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Cisco Warns of Critical ISE Flaw Allowing Unauthenticated Attackers to Execute Root Code - The Hacker News
The Hacker News
Press · 11 Jul 2025, 07:00 · Fortinet Releases Patch for Critical SQL Injection Flaw in FortiWeb (CVE-2025-25257) - The Hacker News
SOC Prime
Press · 27 Jun 2025, 07:00 · CVE-2025-20281 and CVE-2025-20282 Vulnerabilities: Critical RCE Flaws in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC Enable Root Access - SOC Prime
GBHackers News
Press · 26 Jun 2025, 07:00 · Cisco ISE Vulnerability Allows Remote Attackers to Execute Malicious Commands - GBHackers News
The Hacker News
Press · 26 Jun 2025, 07:00 · Critical RCE Flaws in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC Allow Unauthenticated Attackers to Gain Root Access - The Hacker News
SecurityWeek
Press · 26 Jun 2025, 07:00 · Critical Cisco ISE Vulnerabilities Allow Remote Code Execution - SecurityWeek
Arctic Wolf
Press · 25 Jun 2025, 07:00 · Recommendation for CVE-2025-20281 & CVE-2025-20282 - Arctic Wolf

Score evolution

● Hype   ● Reality

Earlier evidence-support scores are retained in history; this chart shows only the current priority definition.

First record: hype 0.0 · reality 9.0 (2026-11-02 15:13). The curve appears once the score changes.

Public exploit evidence

1

Public exploit entries / repo candidates

See 1 repos with metrics
RepositoryStarsForksLanguageUpdated
abrewer251/CVE-2025-20281-2-Cisco-ISE-RCE2110Python28 Jul 2025, 16:43
Evidence context and dated references

Reality is general threat/review priority, combining observed exploitation, CVSS severity and fresh EPSS. Evidence confidence is separate. This is not calibrated risk, a victim count or an asset-specific assessment. A range reflects missing numeric inputs.

Evidence in context

Confidence in exploitation evidence
Exploitation recorded
Priority basis
Recorded exploitation; CVSS 10; EPSS 97.6%
Attention, last 30 days
0 distinct story titles; 0 press documents; 0 publisher domains.
Technical potential
network access, no prior privileges, no user interaction.
Observed activity
Exploitation recorded in CISA KEV.
Known scale
Not quantified.
Evidence confidence basis
Trusted exploitation confirmation

Score evaluated: 2026-11-05 13:59:29.589072+00:00 · EPSS snapshot: 2026-11-05T12:03:04Z

Source event timeline
First press mention
25 Jun 2025, 07:00
Published
25 Jun 2025, 16:11
Added to the CISA KEV catalog
28 Jul 2025, 00:00
Latest press mention
22 Sep 2026, 07:00
Score calculated
05 Nov 2026, 13:59
PoCs on GitHub
1 repositories