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Introduction
A recently discovered vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cloud deployments has raised significant concerns for organizations utilizing AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. With a CVSS score of 9.9, this flaw poses a serious risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data, administrative manipulation, and service disruption. Hereâs a breakdown of the issue, its impact, and how businesses can mitigate the risks.
Overview of the CVE-2025-20286 Vulnerability
The vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-20286 in Cisco ISE cloud deployments allows unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit weak credential management practices. When deploying Cisco ISE on cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, the system generates identical credentials for multiple instances running the same software version. This creates an opportunity for attackers to extract credentials from one Cisco ISE instance and use them to access other instances sharing the same login information.
This flaw is due to improper generation of credentials across different cloud environments, meaning that cloud instances running Cisco ISE can inadvertently share the same login details. With these credentials, an attacker can access sensitive data, perform limited administrative actions, modify system configurations, or even disrupt services.
Kentaro Kawane of GMO Cybersecurity discovered the vulnerability, and Cisco PSIRT has confirmed that proof-of-concept (PoC) code exists, although thereâs no evidence of active exploitation in the wild. However, given the severity of the issue, administrators are urged to take precautionary measures.
What Undercode Say: Understanding the Risk and Solutions
The vulnerability in Cisco ISE cloud deployments stems from the systemâs flawed method of generating credentials across different instances. Cisco ISE instances, running on the same software release and cloud platform, inadvertently share the same authentication details. This creates a huge security gap for organizations, especially those with sensitive or mission-critical data in the cloud.
For businesses, this means that once an attacker compromises one Cisco ISE instance, they could potentially gain access to all other instances sharing the same credentials. This access could result in data theft, unauthorized configuration changes, and service disruptions. These consequences can have a significant financial and operational impact on any organization that relies on Cisco ISE for secure network management.
In response to this vulnerability, Cisco has outlined a few mitigations. Administrators should limit access by allowing only trusted IP addresses, either through cloud security groups or directly within the Cisco ISE interface. For new installations, Cisco recommends running the reset-config ise command on the cloud-based primary node. This will reset the system to factory settings and generate new credentials. However, it is important to note that restoring from backup could bring back the original, potentially vulnerable credentials, making this mitigation only partially effective.
Cisco also encourages users to migrate to fixed releases, as the vulnerability has been addressed in the upcoming patches for versions 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5. For users on versions 3.1 and 3.2, migration to a fixed release is essential as these versions remain vulnerable.
Fact Checker Results â
Vulnerability Exists: Confirmed by Cisco and identified as CVE-2025-20286.
Proof-of-Concept Code: Exists, but no evidence of active exploitation in the wild.
Mitigations Available: Limiting access to trusted IPs and resetting cloud-based primary node credentials.
Prediction đŽ: Whatâs Next for Cisco ISE Vulnerabilities?
As cloud adoption continues to rise, vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-20286 will likely become more common. Organizations that rely on cloud-based infrastructures must prioritize strong credential management and consider moving to more secure configurations as soon as possible. This flaw in Cisco ISE is a wake-up call for businesses to evaluate their cybersecurity posture, especially when dealing with cloud services.
In the future, we expect more security protocols to be introduced, particularly around multi-cloud environments. As cybersecurity concerns grow, cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Oracle will likely implement additional security measures to prevent such widespread issues.
Furthermore, Cisco will likely continue refining its security mechanisms in response to this vulnerability. We could see more frequent updates, enhanced user authentication processes, and further guidance on secure deployments in cloud environments. Itâs crucial for businesses to remain proactive and responsive to these changes to minimize risks and safeguard their sensitive data.
References:
Reported By: securityaffairs.com
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