Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2023-20087
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 · uneditedMultiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to download arbitrary files from the filesystem of an affected device. These vulnerabilities are due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to download arbitrary files from the underlying filesystem of the 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 confidenceMultiple input validation vulnerabilities in Cisco ISE's web-based management interface allow authenticated remote attackers to craft HTTP requests that bypass restrictions and download arbitrary files from the device's filesystem. The CVSS 6.5 score indicates moderate impact, requiring authentication but potentially exposing sensitive system files.
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
<= 3.1= 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Determine Cisco ISE versionLog into the Cisco ISE CLI and run 'show application version ise' or 'show version' to display the installed software versionAffected if The displayed version is 3.1 or any 3.2 release (3.2.0 through 3.2.x)
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Verify web management interface statusFrom the CLI, run 'show running-config | include http' or check the management interface configuration to see if the web-based management interface (HTTPS/HTTP) is enabled and listeningAffected if The web management interface is enabled and accessible on any IP address reachable by potential attackers
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Confirm management access permissionsCheck the management access list or service templates using 'show running-config | include manager' or review the Administration > System > Settings > Access Settings in the ISE web GUI to determine if remote management access is permittedAffected if Remote administrative access to the web management interface is allowed from non-restricted IP ranges
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Identify exposed management interfacesRun 'show interface' or 'show ip interface brief' to list all active network interfaces and their IP assignments, noting which have management services enabledAffected if The management interface is bound to an IP address accessible from untrusted networks such as the internet
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Review authentication configurationCheck if external admin accounts or the local admin account are configured and accessible via the web interface by examining 'show running-config | include user' or reviewing Admin Access settings in the web GUIAffected if Valid administrative credentials can be used to access the vulnerable web management interface
You are affected if Cisco ISE version 3.1 or 3.2 is running AND the web-based management interface is enabled and reachable with valid admin credentials.
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 address the input validation flaws in the web management interface.
Cisco ISE version 3.3 or later
- 1. Identify the current Cisco ISE version by navigating to the ISE admin GUI and checking the Dashboard or by running 'show version' in the CLI
- 2. Confirm the running version is 3.1 or earlier, or exactly version 3.2 (these are affected)
- 3. Access the Cisco Software Download page at https://software.cisco.com/ and navigate to Cisco ISE
- 4. Download Cisco ISE version 3.3 or later (the first fixed release that addresses this vulnerability)
- 5. Review the Cisco ISE upgrade guide for prerequisites: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/ise/3-3/upgrade_guide/b_ISE_Upgrade_33.html
- 6. Create a backup of the current ISE configuration
- 7. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require brief downtime
- 8. Perform the upgrade following the documented procedure
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 / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20087 — 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-2023-20087 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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