# CVE-2026-20180: Cisco Identity Services Engine remote code execution and privilege escalation

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-20180-cisco-identity-services-engine-remote-code-execution-and  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-04-15. Updated: 2026-07-08  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-20180 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-04-15

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a security policy management platform that controls network access. A vulnerability in this system allows an attacker with basic administrative credentials to take full control of the underlying operating system. This could lead to the theft of sensitive data, unauthorized network access for rogue devices, or a complete shutdown of the authentication service, preventing legitimate users from connecting to the network.

Technologies: [Cisco Identity Services Engine](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/identity-services-engine). Vendors: [Cisco](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/cisco).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-20180 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-20180 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-20180?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 15 April 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Cisco Identity Services Engine Earlier than 3.2; 3.2 before Patch 8; 3.3 before Patch 8; 3.4 before Patch 4.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-20180?** A patch was published on 2026-04-15. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-20180 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-20180?** Check whether you run Cisco Identity Services Engine at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

A vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is caused by insufficient validation of user-supplied input in HTTP requests. An authenticated, remote attacker with at least Read Only Admin credentials can exploit this by sending a crafted HTTP request to the affected device. Successful exploitation allows for arbitrary command execution on the underlying operating system, starting with user-level access and potentially escalating to root privileges. In single-node deployments, this can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) where new endpoints cannot authenticate. The vulnerability is associated with CWE-22 (Path Traversal) and CWE-77 (Command Injection). Cisco has released software updates to address this issue.

## Affected products

- Cisco Identity Services Engine Earlier than 3.2; 3.2 before Patch 8; 3.3 before Patch 8; 3.4 before Patch 4

## Timeline

- 2026-04-15: disclosed
- 2026-04-15: advisory
- 2026-04-15: patched

## References

- [https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-rce-4fverepv](https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-rce-4fverepv)

## Related threats

- [Cisco Identity Services Engine authorization bypass in management interface](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-20183-a-vulnerability-in-the-web-based-management-interface-of-cisco)
- [Cisco Identity Services Engine authorization bypass in certificate enrollment](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-20241-a-vulnerability-in-the-authorization-mechanism-of-cisco-identity)
- [A vulnerability in an API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication.](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-76460-cisco-identity-services-engine-incorrect-privileged-api-use)
- [Cisco ISE SQL and HQL injection in APIs](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-76451-cisco-ise-sql-and-hql-injection-in-apis)
- [Cisco Identity Services Engine SQL and HQL injection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-76450-cisco-identity-services-engine-sql-and-hql-injection)