Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2022-20962
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 Localdisk Management feature of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to make unauthorized changes to the file system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request with absolute path sequences. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to upload malicious files to arbitrary locations within the file system. Using this method, it is possible to access the underlying operating system and execute commands with system privileges.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in Cisco ISE's Localdisk Management feature allows authenticated remote attackers to craft HTTP requests with absolute path sequences to upload malicious files to arbitrary filesystem locations, potentially achieving command execution with system privileges.
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
= 3.1CVSS 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:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Cisco ISE is installedCheck if the Cisco Identity Services Engine application is present by reviewing installed software or running: show version or show application in the ISE CLIAffected if Cisco ISE is not installed, the system is not affected by this CVE
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Verify the installed version is 3.1In the ISE CLI, run: show version or access the admin web interface and check the System Summary page for the exact version numberAffected if The version is exactly 3.1, the system falls within the affected range
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Confirm Localdisk Management feature accessLog into the Cisco ISE admin interface and navigate to the Localdisk Management section under Administration > System > Backup and Restore > Local Disk Management, or check if the feature is accessible via APIAffected if The Localdisk Management feature is accessible and the user has administrative credentials to use it
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Inspect for suspicious file writesReview filesystem for unexpected files in system directories (such as /opt, /usr, or root directories) that may indicate successful path traversal uploads; use commands like: ls -la / | findstr or check backup/archive directories for unfamiliar filesAffected if Unexpected files exist in system directories or locations outside the expected backup storage area, potentially indicating exploitation
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Review ISE audit and system logsExamine Cisco ISE logs for entries containing abnormal path traversal patterns (such as ../../../ etc.) in Localdisk Management operations; check Operational Logs > Reports > AuditAffected if Logs contain requests with absolute path sequences or unusual file upload activities in the Localdisk Management feature
The system is affected only if Cisco ISE version 3.1 is running AND the Localdisk Management feature is accessible, with evidence of unauthorized file writes or path traversal attempts in logs.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the relevant Cisco ISE software update (patch) from Cisco's security advisory to fix the input validation in the Localdisk Management feature.
Cisco ISE 3.1 Patch 3 or later
- 1. Verify current Cisco ISE version by navigating to Administration > System > Licensing in the ISE admin GUI
- 2. Download Cisco ISE 3.1 Patch 3 or later from the Cisco Software Download Center
- 3. Schedule a maintenance window as the patch requires a system restart
- 4. Back up the ISE configuration before applying the patch
- 5. Apply the patch via the administration GUI or CLI using the 'application install' command
- 6. Verify the patch installed successfully using 'show version' command
- 7. Validate that the Localdisk Management feature now properly rejects absolute path sequences in HTTP requests
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Identity Services Engine
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 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 $4,608.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20962 — 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-2022-20962 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
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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