Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2022-20966
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 could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct cross-site scripting attacks against other users of the application web-based management interface. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of input to an application feature before storage within the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by creating entries within the application interface that contain malicious HTML or script code. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to store malicious HTML or script code within the application interface for use in further cross-site scripting attacks. Cisco has not yet released software updates that address this vulnerability.
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 · moderate confidenceStored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine web-based management interface allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious HTML/script code through application input fields. The injected code persists in the application and executes when other users view the affected content.
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
< 2.6.0= 2.6.0= 2.7.0= 3.0.0= 3.1= 3.2CVSS 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.
-
Check installed Cisco ISE versionLog into the ISE CLI as admin and run 'show version' or access the web UI and navigate to Administration > System > Settings > About Cisco ISE to view the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is 2.6.0, 2.7.0, 3.0.0, 3.1, 3.2, or any version prior to 2.6.0 (versions below 3.3 are likely affected)
-
Confirm web-based management interface is accessibleAttempt to access the ISE web interface at the configured URL (typically https://<ise-hostname>/admin) using a browserAffected if The web management interface is accessible and responds (this is the attack surface for this XSS flaw)
-
Review saved network device definitionsNavigate to Network Resources > Network Devices in the ISE web UI and inspect each device entry for any unexpected script tags, HTML elements, or encoded payloads in text fields such as device names, descriptions, or IP addressesAffected if Any network device entry contains persisted HTML script tags or suspicious JavaScript in text fields that could execute when viewed by other administrators
-
Examine admin-created user and endpoint custom attributesGo to Identity Management > Settings > Endpoint Custom Attributes and User Custom Attributes, then review all custom attribute definitions and their stored values for injected script contentAffected if Custom attribute definitions or values contain script tags, event handlers (onclick, onload, etc.), or other XSS payloads
-
Audit administrator-created sponsor groups and guest templatesNavigate to Guest > Settings > Sponsor Settings and inspect sponsor group names, descriptions, and any guest portal customization fields for malicious script contentAffected if Sponsor group configurations or guest portal templates contain stored HTML or script code that could execute when other admins view these settings
A user is affected if their Cisco ISE version falls within the listed affected versions (2.6.0 through 3.2, or any version prior to 2.6.0) AND the web management interface is accessible with stored malicious content present in any configuration or identity field.
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 · scoped2.6.0
Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied input fields in the ISE management interface. Restrict administrative access and monitor for suspicious entries until Cisco releases an official patch.
- No vendor patch or upgrade is currently available. Cisco has not yet released software updates that address this vulnerability.
- Monitor Cisco Security Advisory (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com) for future updates and patches.
- Consider implementing additional network segmentation or web application firewall (WAF) controls as a temporary mitigation if the interface cannot be taken offline.
- Follow least-privilege principles for accounts with access to the ISE web management interface to reduce attack surface.
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
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20966 — 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-2022-20966 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