dbcve.org
Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco

CVE-2024-20528

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.0 or later.
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
A vulnerability in the API of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to upload files to arbitrary locations on the underlying operating system of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, an 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 upload custom files to arbitrary locations on the underlying operating system, execute arbitrary code, and elevate privileges to root.

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

This is an authenticated path traversal vulnerability in Cisco ISE's API that allows a Super Admin to upload files to arbitrary locations on the underlying operating system. The root cause is insufficient validation of user-supplied parameters in API requests, enabling arbitrary code execution and root privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for CVE-2024-20528 immediately. Until patched, restrict Super Admin credentials to trusted personnel only and monitor API activity for anomalies.

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:>= 3.0.0, < 3.1.0= 3.1.0= 3.2.0= 3.3.0

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 Cisco ISE version
    Log into the ISE admin GUI and navigate to Administration > System > Settings > Product Version, or run 'show version' via CLI. Compare the installed version against affected range: 3.0.0 through 3.3.0 (all versions in this range are affected).
    Affected if Installed version is 3.0.0, 3.1.0, 3.2.0, or 3.3.0, or falls between 3.0.0 and 3.1.0 (exclusive of 3.1.0). Versions outside this range are not affected.
  2. Confirm API service is enabled
    In ISE admin GUI, verify that the internal REST API service (ERS API or Open API) is enabled under Administration > System > Settings > API Settings. Alternatively, check via CLI with 'show api settings'.
    Affected if API service is enabled - the vulnerability requires API access to exploit.
  3. Identify Super Admin accounts
    Navigate to Administration > Identity Management > Identities > Users in the ISE GUI. Review accounts with Super Admin privileges. In CLI, use 'show running-config | include user' to list local users.
    Affected if Super Admin accounts exist - the vulnerability requires Super Admin level privileges to exploit.
  4. Review API access logs for anomalies
    Check ISE logging for suspicious API activity. In GUI, go to Operations > RADIUS > RADIUS Live Logs or use 'show logs' command. Look for unusual file upload API requests to non-standard paths, especially POST requests to '/ers/config/...' endpoints with unexpected directory traversal patterns.
    Affected if API logs show file upload requests with '..' sequences or uploads to system directories like /tmp, /opt, or /etc from API endpoints.
  5. Check for unexpected files in system directories
    Use CLI to list files in common escalation paths: 'ls -la /opt/', 'ls -la /tmp/', 'ls -la /db/', or check for newly created scripts in system paths. Compare against known-good baseline if available.
    Affected if Unexpected scripts, binaries, or uploaded files exist in system directories outside normal ISE operation.

You are affected if Cisco ISE version is 3.0.0 through 3.3.0 (inclusive) and the API service is enabled with Super Admin accounts present.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.1.0 or later
Fixed in 3.1.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch for CVE-2024-20528 immediately. Until patched, restrict Super Admin credentials to trusted personnel only and monitor API activity for anomalies.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Cisco ISE 3.4 or later

  1. 1. Verify current Cisco ISE version by navigating to Administration > System > Licensing > Product License in the ISE administrative UI
  2. 2. Obtain valid Super Admin credentials for authentication
  3. 3. Download the fixed Cisco ISE version (3.4 or later) from the Cisco Software Download page
  4. 4. Review Cisco ISE upgrade documentation and release notes for upgrade prerequisites
  5. 5. Create a full backup of the ISE configuration before upgrading
  6. 6. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade requires system downtime
  7. 7. Perform the upgrade following Cisco's recommended upgrade path for your current version
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the version by checking Administration > System > Licensing > Product License
Caveat ISE upgrades may require downtime and could have configuration migration requirements; review release notes for any compatibility concerns

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Identity Services Engine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
23.0 hours of engineering $4,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,528.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20528 — 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-2024-20528 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