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Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco

CVE-2021-34706

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.1 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to access sensitive information or conduct a server-side request forgery (SSRF) attack through an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper handling of XML External Entity (XXE) entries when parsing certain XML files. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a crafted XML file that contains references to external entities. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to retrieve files from the local system, resulting in the disclosure of sensitive information, or cause the web application to perform arbitrary HTTP requests on behalf of the attacker.

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

Cisco ISE web-based management interface contains an XXE vulnerability in XML parsing that allows authenticated attackers to upload crafted XML files with external entity references. This enables file disclosure from the local system and SSRF attacks via arbitrary HTTP requests through the vulnerable application.

MitigationDisable external entity processing in XML parsers and apply Cisco's available patches for CVE-2021-34706. If patching is delayed, restrict authenticated user access to XML upload functionalities and monitor for suspicious XML payloads.

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:<= 3.1= 3.1\(0.518\)= 3.2\(0.149\)

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
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Cisco ISE installation
    Run 'show version' on the device or check the admin web interface footer for the exact version number
    Affected if The installed version matches <= 3.1, 3.1(0.518), or 3.2(0.149)
  2. Confirm web-based management interface is enabled
    Access the ISE admin portal at the configured HTTPS URL (default port 8443) and verify you can log in as an authenticated user
    Affected if The web management interface is accessible and accepts authentication credentials
  3. Verify XML upload functionality is available
    Navigate to the administration interface and look for features that accept XML file uploads, such as backup/restore, policy import, or similar configuration import options
    Affected if Authenticated users can access any feature that accepts XML file uploads
  4. Inspect XML parser configuration for external entity processing
    Review the XML parser settings on the ISE system (typically in application configuration files or via CLI: 'show running-config | include xml')
    Affected if External entity processing is enabled in the XML parser configuration

A user is affected if they are running a vulnerable Cisco ISE version with the web management interface enabled and XML upload functionality accessible to authenticated users.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.1
Interim mitigation

Disable external entity processing in XML parsers and apply Cisco's available patches for CVE-2021-34706. If patching is delayed, restrict authenticated user access to XML upload functionalities and monitor for suspicious XML payloads.

Recommended fix High confidence

Cisco ISE 3.1 Patch 4 or later; Cisco ISE 3.2 Patch 2 or later

  1. 1. Log into the Cisco ISE administrator web interface
  2. 2. Navigate to Administration > System > Backup & Restore > Backup & Restore Operations
  3. 3. Perform a full configuration backup of ISE before upgrading
  4. 4. Download the appropriate patch from Cisco.com (ISE 3.1 Patch 4+ or ISE 3.2 Patch 2+)
  5. 5. Navigate to Administration > System > Maintenance > Software Update > System Updates
  6. 6. Upload and install the patch on the ISE primary node first
  7. 7. Wait for the primary node to fully upgrade and come back online
  8. 8. If running a distributed deployment, proceed to upgrade the secondary nodes
Caveat Review Cisco ISE upgrade guide for compatibility requirements; ensure backup before proceeding; test in staging environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Identity Services Engine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-34706 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data