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Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco

CVE-2018-0213

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A vulnerability in the credential reset functionality for Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability is due to a lack of proper input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the device and sending a crafted HTTP request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain elevated privileges to access functionality that should be restricted. The attacker must have valid user credentials to the device to exploit this vulnerability. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf69753.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) allows an authenticated attacker with valid credentials to send a crafted HTTP request during the credential reset process. Due to insufficient input validation, the attacker can gain elevated privileges and access restricted functionality beyond what their account should normally permit.

MitigationApply the Cisco patch for bug CSCvf69753 (typically via Cisco ISE software update). In the interim, restrict network access to the ISE admin interface, monitor for unusual credential reset activities, and ensure accounts follow least-privilege principles.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Identity Services EngineApplication
Affected:= 2.1\(0.904\)

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Cisco ISE installation and version
    Access the ISE admin UI and navigate to Administration > System > Settings > Product Version, or run 'show version' command via CLI to confirm the installed Cisco ISE version and build number
    Affected if The installed version matches 2.1 with patch level 904 (displayed as 2.1(0.904) or 2.1.0.904)
  2. Verify admin interface network exposure
    Check network access controls (ACLs, firewall rules, or VLAN configuration) to determine if the ISE admin portal (TCP ports 443/80) is accessible from untrusted networks
    Affected if The ISE admin interface is accessible from networks beyond the trusted administrative zone
  3. Review credential reset activity logs
    In ISE admin UI, navigate to Operations > RADIUS Authentications or use the Live Logs feature to examine credential reset requests, looking for multiple reset attempts or requests from unexpected source IPs
    Affected if Multiple credential reset operations are observed in logs that were not initiated by legitimate administrators
  4. Audit account privilege assignments
    Navigate to Administration > Identity Management > Identities > Users to review all accounts and their assigned permission groups (Admin, MnT Admin, Policy Admin, Helpdesk, etc.)
    Affected if Accounts exist with elevated privileges that were not assigned by known administrators or that exceed the user's documented authorization level

You are affected if your Cisco ISE version is exactly 2.1(0.904) AND the admin interface is network-accessible to the attacker, allowing them to leverage the credential reset process for privilege escalation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Cisco patch for bug CSCvf69753 (typically via Cisco ISE software update). In the interim, restrict network access to the ISE admin interface, monitor for unusual credential reset activities, and ensure accounts follow least-privilege principles.

Fix this in Identity Services Engine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-0213 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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