Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2024-20527
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 API of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to read and delete arbitrary files on an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need valid Super Admin credentials. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied parameters in API requests. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted API request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read or delete arbitrary files on the underlying operating system.
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 confidenceThis is an authenticated path traversal vulnerability in the Cisco ISE API. A Super Admin user can send crafted API requests with insufficiently validated parameters to read or delete arbitrary files on the underlying operating system. The CVSS 5.5 reflects the high privilege requirement ( authenticated as Super Admin) offsetting the severe impact of arbitrary file access.
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
>= 3.0.0, < 3.1.0= 3.1.0= 3.2.0= 3.3.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 versionLog into the Cisco ISE admin UI and navigate to Administration > System > Licensing, or use the CLI command 'show version' to determine the installed software version.Affected if The installed version matches any of these: >= 3.0.0 and < 3.1.0, or exactly 3.1.0, 3.2.0, or 3.3.0
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Verify API service statusCheck if the Cisco ISE API service (RESTful API) is enabled and reachable. In the admin UI, go to Administration > System > Settings > API Settings to confirm API access is enabled.Affected if The API service is enabled and accessible from the network
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Confirm Super Admin account existenceNavigate to Administration > Identity Management > Identities > Users in the Cisco ISE admin UI and review the list of administrative accounts with Super Admin privileges.Affected if There are Super Admin accounts configured, particularly if those accounts have credentials that could be compromised or are accessible to multiple users
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Inspect API access logs for suspicious requestsIn the Cisco ISE admin UI, go to Operations > RADIUS > Live Logs or use the API Logs to search for unusual file access API requests. Look for requests containing '../' patterns or unusual file path parameters.Affected if There are API log entries showing path traversal patterns or requests to sensitive system directories
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Review admin session activityCheck the Administration > Sessions > Administrative Sessions menu to review recent Super Admin login activity and identify any unauthorized or unexpected administrative sessions.Affected if There are active or recent Super Admin sessions from unexpected sources or at unusual times
You are affected if your Cisco ISE version is 3.0.0 through 3.3.0 (excluding patched releases), the API is enabled, and Super Admin accounts exist in the system.
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 · scoped3.1.0
Apply the Cisco ISE patch for CVE-2024-20527 when available. Until then, restrict Super Admin account access to only necessary personnel, monitor API logs for suspicious requests, and consider network segmentation to limit exposure.
Cisco ISE version 3.3.1 or later (e.g., 3.3.1, 3.4.0)
- 1. Verify current Cisco ISE version by navigating to Administration > System > Licensing > Software Version or using the 'show version' CLI command
- 2. Download the fixed version (3.3.1 or later) from the Cisco Software Download Center after accepting the Cisco ISE software patch license agreement
- 3. Review Cisco ISE upgrade documentation for required pre-upgrade checks including backup procedures, compatibility verification, and downtime planning
- 4. Create a full backup of the ISE configuration using the administration interface or CLI 'ise backup' command
- 5. Schedule maintenance window as the upgrade requires system downtime
- 6. Follow Cisco ISE upgrade procedure to install version 3.3.1 or later, which includes the patch for CVE-2024-20527
- 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is running and confirm Super Admin accounts have been re-created if needed
- 8. Review Cisco ISE operation logs to ensure no unauthorized file access occurred during the vulnerability window
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
- Implementation2.0 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 $4,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20527 — 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-2024-20527 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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