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Identity Services Engine Passive Identity ConnectorApplication · Cisco

CVE-2026-20146

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.3.0 or later.
See remediation →
61/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click 5 weeks old

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 Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to perform path traversal attacks on the underlying operating system to either read or delete arbitrary files. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials.  This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access sensitive files or delete arbitrary files on the affected 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 confidence

This is a path traversal vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC). An authenticated attacker with administrative credentials can exploit improper validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests to read or delete arbitrary files on the underlying operating system.

MitigationApply the relevant Cisco security patch or upgrade to a fixed version as specified in Cisco's official security advisory for CVE-2026-20146. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for suspicious file access patterns.

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 Engine Passive Identity ConnectorApplication
Affected:< 3.3.0= 3.3.0= 3.4.0= 3.5.0
Identity Services EngineApplication
Affected:< 3.3.0= 3.3.0= 3.4.0= 3.5.0

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
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 checks

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

  1. Determine installed Cisco ISE version
    Access the admin console and navigate to Administration > System > Licensing, or run 'show version' from the CLI. Alternatively, check /opt/CSCOISE/version.txt or the installed package version via system packages.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 3.3.0, or equals 3.3.0, 3.4.0, or 3.5.0.
  2. Determine installed ISE-PIC version
    If using ISE-PIC, check the version via the same methods: admin console, CLI 'show version', or system version file.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 3.3.0, or equals 3.3.0, 3.4.0, or 3.5.0.
  3. Confirm admin HTTP interface is accessible
    Verify that the ISE admin web interface (HTTPS on port 443 or 9060) is reachable. Check if port 443/9060 is listening via 'show ip http server status' in CLI or network scan.
    Affected if The admin interface is exposed and the version is in the affected range.
  4. Review HTTP request logs for path traversal patterns
    Inspect ISE logs in Administration > Troubleshooting > Logs > System Logs > webinterface logs, or check /opt/CSCOISE/logs/ folder for HTTP access logs. Search for patterns like '../' or encoded variations in request parameters.
    Affected if Suspicious path traversal requests are found in logs targeting arbitrary file paths.

The environment is affected if Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC is running a version equal to 3.3.0, 3.4.0, 3.5.0, or any version below 3.3.0, and the admin HTTP interface is accessible.

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 3.3.0 or later
Fixed in 3.3.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Cisco security patch or upgrade to a fixed version as specified in Cisco's official security advisory for CVE-2026-20146. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for suspicious file access patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC version 3.3.0 or later (3.4.0, 3.5.0 with patches)

  1. Identify current ISE or ISE-PIC version via Administration > System > Licensing > Software Version
  2. Download Cisco ISE version 3.3.0 or later from the Cisco Software Download center (requires valid Cisco service contract)
  3. Review 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
  4. Back up the ISE configuration via Administration > System > Backup & Restore > Full Backup
  5. Perform upgrade in a maintenance window as upgrade causes service disruption
  6. After upgrade, verify the system is running the fixed version via Administration > System > Licensing
Caveat Upgrade requires service downtime; verify backup before proceeding; some configurations may require post-upgrade verification

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

Fix this in Identity Services Engine Passive Identity Connector Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2026-20146 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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