CVE-2026-20287: Cisco Identity Services Engine improper privilege management

CVE-2026-20287 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-09-16

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) contain improper privilege management vulnerabilities discovered during an internal security review. These issues could allow attackers to gain unauthorized elevated access or permissions within the authentication and network access control system. Cisco has released software patches to address these vulnerabilities with no workarounds available.

Technologies: Cisco Identity Services Engine, Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector. Vendors: Cisco.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-20287 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-20287 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-20287?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 16 September 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Cisco Identity Services Engine 3.0 and earlier; 3.1 before 3.1 Patch 12; 3.2 before 3.2 Patch 11; 3.3 before 3.3 Patch 12; 3.4 before 3.4 Patch 7; 3.5 before 3.5 Patch 4; Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector 3.4 and earlier.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-20287?
No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2026-20287 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-20287?
Check whether you run Cisco Identity Services Engine or Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector 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

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) and involves incorrect privilege assignment, privilege chaining, and incorrect use of privilege APIs within Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC. The flaw is network-reachable with no authentication or user interaction required, allowing unauthenticated attackers to exploit the privilege management weaknesses. Attackers can potentially escalate their privileges within the system to perform unauthorized actions. Cisco released software hardening updates that include patches for this vulnerability across multiple software releases; customers should upgrade to the patched releases indicated in the advisory.

Affected products

  • Cisco Identity Services Engine 3.0 and earlier; 3.1 before 3.1 Patch 12; 3.2 before 3.2 Patch 11; 3.3 before 3.3 Patch 12; 3.4 before 3.4 Patch 7; 3.5 before 3.5 Patch 4
  • Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector 3.4 and earlier

Timeline

  • 2026-09-16: disclosed: Cisco Security Advisory published
  • 2026-09-16: advisory: CVE-2026-20287 assigned as part of hardening release grouping

References

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