Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2022-20963
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 authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the web-based management interface of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input by the web-based management interface of an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious code into specific pages of the interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code in the context of the affected interface or access sensitive, browser-based information. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need valid credentials to access the web-based management interface of an affected device.
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 confidenceCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine web-based management interface due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An authenticated attacker can inject malicious script code into specific pages, enabling execution of arbitrary scripts in the context of the affected interface 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 EngineApplication
< 2.7.0= 2.7.0= 3.0.0= 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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.
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Identify Cisco ISE versionAccess the Cisco ISE administrative interface and navigate to Administration > System > Settings > General Setup, or use the CLI command 'show version' to determine the installed Cisco ISE version.Affected if The installed version is less than 2.7.0, or exactly 2.7.0, 3.0.0, or 3.1.
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Confirm web management interface is accessibleVerify that the Cisco ISE web-based management interface is reachable and operational. This is typically accessible via HTTPS on port 443 or 8443.Affected if The web-based management interface is enabled and accessible (the XSS flaw exists within this interface).
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Review admin user accessCheck if there are any user accounts with administrative privileges configured in Cisco ISE. The vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker.Affected if Administrative or privileged user accounts exist in the system, as the vulnerability is exploitable by authenticated users.
A user is affected if their Cisco ISE version matches less than 2.7.0, exactly 2.7.0, exactly 3.0.0, or exactly 3.1, and the web-based management interface is accessible to authenticated users.
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 · scoped2.7.0
Apply the Cisco ISE patch when available; until then, enforce least-privilege access to the web management interface and monitor for suspicious administrative activity.
Cisco ISE 3.2 or later (verify latest available version on Cisco.com)
- 1. Log into the Cisco Identity Services Engine admin interface
- 2. Navigate to Administration > System > Software Updates > Software Updates
- 3. Check current software version under Administration > System > Licensing > Product License Status
- 4. Download the fixed version (3.2 or later) from Cisco.com Software Download center
- 5. Create a backup of the ISE configuration under Administration > System > Backup & Restore > Configuration Backup
- 6. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrade requires system restart
- 7. Upload the new software image and initiate upgrade following the migration guide
- 8. Verify upgrade completion and confirm version under Administration > System > About Cisco ISE
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Identity Services Engine
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,072.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20963 — 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-2022-20963 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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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