Identity Services EngineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2024-20529
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 a path traversal vulnerability in the Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) web API where insufficient validation of user-supplied parameters allows an authenticated attacker with Super Admin credentials to craft malicious API requests capable of reading or deleting arbitrary files on the underlying operating system.
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 if Cisco ISE is installedLocate the Cisco ISE installation by checking for the application in your asset inventory, or run 'show version' on the ISE CLI to confirm the productAffected if Cisco ISE is not present in the environment, the vulnerability does not apply
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Determine the installed Cisco ISE versionOn the ISE CLI, run 'show version' or access the admin web UI and navigate to Administration > System > Licensing to view the current software versionAffected if The installed version falls within these ranges: >= 3.0.0 and < 3.1.0, or exactly version 3.1.0, 3.2.0, or 3.3.0
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Verify the ISE admin web API is accessibleAttempt to reach the ISE admin portal URL (typically https://<ise-host>/admin/) from a network location to confirm the web interface is exposedAffected if The web API is accessible from untrusted networks, increasing exposure to potential attackers
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Audit Super Admin accountsIn the ISE admin UI, go to Administration > Identity Management > Identities > Users to review accounts with Super Admin privileges, and check for any unauthorized or unexpected accountsAffected if There are Super Admin accounts beyond the intended few, or credentials may be compromised
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Review API request logs for path traversal patternsIn the ISE admin UI, go to Operations > Reports > RADIUS > Authentications to inspect API traffic, or check system logs for patterns like '../' or unusual file access attempts in API requestsAffected if There are logs showing API requests containing directory traversal sequences or access to system files outside the expected directories
The environment is affected if Cisco ISE is installed with a version in the range 3.0.0 through 3.3.0 (excluding later patched versions) and the web API is accessible to an attacker who could obtain Super 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.
From vendor data3.1.0
Apply the vendor patch/upgrade to the latest Cisco ISE version as soon as possible. In the interim, strictly limit API access to trusted Super Admin accounts only, enforce strong credential policies, and monitor for suspicious API activity.
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-2024-20529 — 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-2024-20529 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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