dbcve.org
Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20195

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Two vulnerabilities in Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to upload arbitrary files to an affected device. To exploit these vulnerabilities, an attacker must have valid Administrator credentials on the affected device. These vulnerabilities are due to improper validation of files that are uploaded to the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by uploading a crafted file to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to store malicious files in specific directories on the device. The attacker could later use those files to conduct additional attacks, including executing arbitrary code on the affected device with root 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 confidence

Two vulnerabilities in Cisco ISE allow an authenticated remote attacker with Administrator credentials to upload arbitrary files to the device through improper validation in the web-based management interface. Successful exploitation permits storing malicious files in specific directories, enabling subsequent arbitrary code execution with root privileges.

MitigationApply Cisco-provided patches for CVE-2023-20195; until patched, strictly limit admin access and monitor for unauthorized administrative sessions.

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:= 2.7.0= 3.0.0= 3.1= 3.2

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed Cisco ISE version
    Access the Cisco ISE admin web interface and navigate to Administration > System > Settings > Product Version, or run 'show version' command via CLI
    Affected if The displayed version is exactly 2.7.0, 3.0.0, 3.1, or 3.2
  2. Confirm web-based management interface is accessible
    Attempt to access the Cisco ISE admin portal via HTTPS at the configured management IP address
    Affected if The web management interface is reachable and accepts authentication requests
  3. Review administrator account activity logs
    In Cisco ISE, go to Operations > RADIUS > Live Logs or Administration > Identities > Administrators to examine recent admin login events and actions
    Affected if There are administrator sessions or file upload operations that were not initiated by legitimate administrators
  4. Inspect filesystem for unexpected files in web directory
    Access the ISE CLI and check directories such as /tmp, /storedconfig, or other writable paths accessible via the web interface for unfamiliar files with extensions like .sh, .py, or executables
    Affected if Unexpected scripts or executable files exist in directories accessible through the web management interface

You are affected if your Cisco ISE version is exactly 2.7.0, 3.0.0, 3.1, or 3.2 and the web-based management interface is accessible, as this combination allows the file upload vulnerability to be exploited.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Cisco-provided patches for CVE-2023-20195; until patched, strictly limit admin access and monitor for unauthorized administrative sessions.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco ISE 3.3 or later (specific patch versions may also be available for 2.7, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 branches)

  1. 1. Verify current Cisco ISE version by navigating to Administration > System > Licensing > Product License in the ISE admin interface
  2. 2. Backup all ISE configuration data using the admin backup functionality
  3. 3. Download Cisco ISE version 3.3 or later from the Cisco Software Download center (software.cisco.com)
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade requires downtime
  5. 5. Follow Cisco ISE upgrade documentation: navigate to Administration > System > Upgrade > Patch Downloads and Installation, or use CLI with the 'upgrade' command
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the new version by checking Administration > System > Licensing > Product License
  7. 7. Confirm the vulnerability is resolved by reviewing the Cisco ISE release notes for version 3.3
  8. 8. Validate that Administrator accounts used for file upload functionality are still properly configured with least-privilege principles
Caveat ISE upgrades may require coordination with existing network authentication services; ensure backup and rollback procedures are tested before production upgrade

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,304.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20195 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-20195 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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