Identity Services Engine SoftwareApplication · Cisco
CVE-2018-15463
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the web-based interface. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation of some parameters passed to the web-based management interface of an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by convincing a user of the interface to click a specific link. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the web-based management interface or allow the attacker to access sensitive browser-based information.
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 confidenceCisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) contains a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in its web-based management interface. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation of certain parameters passed to the web interface. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by tricking a user into clicking a crafted link, enabling arbitrary script execution in the context of the user's session or access to sensitive browser-based information.
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 Engine SoftwareApplication
= 2.4\(0.357\)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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify Cisco ISE installationCheck system for Cisco ISE processes (ise* services) or look for ISE installation directories such as /opt/CSCOISE or C:\Program Files\Cisco\ISE on Windows. Alternatively, scan for network services on ports 443, 8443, or 9090 which are commonly used by ISE admin web interfaces.Affected if Cisco ISE software is installed and running on the system
-
Check installed Cisco ISE versionIf you have CLI access to the ISE appliance, SSH to the device and run the command 'show version' or access the admin web UI and navigate to Administration > System > Settings > Product Version to view the exact version number.Affected if The displayed version is exactly 2.4(0.357)
-
Verify web management interface accessibilityCheck if the ISE admin web interface ports (typically 443/tcp or 8443/tcp) are listening and reachable. Use 'netstat -an | grep -E '(:443|:8443)' or a port scanner to confirm the interface is exposed.Affected if The web management interface is accessible and the installed version is 2.4(0.357)
A system is affected if Cisco Identity Services Engine version 2.4(0.357) is installed and its web-based management interface is accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the vendor patch or upgrade to a fixed Cisco ISE version that addresses this vulnerability. Educate users to avoid clicking untrusted links until the patch is applied.
Fix this in Identity Services Engine Software
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-15463 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-15463 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data