Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessObtain high-privilege ISE/ISE-PIC credentials
-
DeliverySend crafted request over network
-
ExploitTrigger improper cross-sphere resource transfer (CWE-669)
-
ExecutionCross scope boundary (S:C)
-
ImpactRead/alter/disrupt identity control-plane resources
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Incorrect resource transfer between spheres
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires an authenticated, high-privilege identity on Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC (PR:H) reachable over the network (AV:N); there is no user interaction and low attack complexity once that access is held. It applies to the ISE/ISE-PIC software versions addressed by hardening release cisco-sa-hardening-ise-XU5EwX5T (exact fixed versions not provided). The primary limiting factor is the high-privilege authentication prerequisite, which confines realistic exploitation to trusted insiders, compromised administrator credentials, or an attacker who has already gained an admin foothold; the grouped-advisory nature means the exact triggering feature or configuration is not publicly specified. |
| Impact | CVSS 3.1 base 9.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) rates this Critical, but the real-world priority is more nuanced than the headline number. The single most important limiter is PR:H: exploitation requires an already high-privilege authenticated identity on the ISE/ISE-PIC platform, so this is a privilege-abuse / lateral-movement flaw for a near-trusted insider or a compromised admin credential, not a pre-auth internet drive-by. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC in the provided data, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis' and there is no evidence of active or automatable exploitation. The C:H/I:H/A:H plus S:C impacts and CWE-669 classification are vendor-asserted through an internal-review 'software hardening release' that groups MULTIPLE internally discovered vulnerabilities under one CVE, so the per-issue technical detail is deliberately vague and cannot be independently verified. Net: a genuine and worth-patching flaw on a sensitive identity platform, but the PR:H gate plus absence of KEV/POC/EPSS signals make it a scheduled-remediation item rather than an emergency, high-CVSS-driven fire drill - the score is elevated largely by the generous vendor-asserted impact and scope-change rather than by demonstrated ease of real-world exploitation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already holds high-privilege authenticated access to Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC (for example a compromised admin account or malicious operator) sends crafted requests that exploit improper transfer of a resource across a trust/privilege boundary (CWE-669), causing the platform to read, modify, or disrupt resources outside the attacker's intended sphere. Because CVSS marks scope changed (S:C) with C:H/I:H/A:H, the abuse can cascade beyond the vulnerable component to affect the broader identity/NAC control plane. No public proof-of-concept is available and no active exploitation is reported. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 16, 2026
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) contain multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities grouped under CVE-2026-20194, stemming from incorrect resource transfer between spheres (CWE-669). An authenticated attacker with high privileges can exploit these over the network to potentially achieve high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, as reflected by the CVSS 3.1 score of 9.1 (Critical) with scope change. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and the high-privilege authentication prerequisite confines realistic risk to trusted insiders or attackers who already hold administrative access.
RemediationAI
Apply the Cisco hardening release referenced in advisory cisco-sa-hardening-ise-XU5EwX5T (https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-hardening-ise-XU5EwX5T); exact fixed versions are not specified in the available data, so consult the advisory for version-specific upgrade instructions. Because the vulnerabilities require high-privilege authentication (PR:H), immediate compensating controls include restricting network access to ISE and ISE-PIC administrative interfaces to trusted management networks, enforcing multi-factor authentication and least privilege for all administrative accounts, and auditing privileged sessions for anomalous activity. These controls may reduce administrative convenience but are effective in limiting exposure until the patch can be deployed. No specific workarounds are provided in the available data, but the listed compensating controls can reduce risk.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 packages in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Cisco ISE is a network access control and identity management platform, and ISE-PIC provides passive identity services for user identification. The root cause is categorized under CWE-669 (Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres), a pillar weakness describing improper transfer of resources between security domains, which can lead to unauthorized information disclosure or manipulation. The affected products, as indicated by CPE wildcards, include all versions of Cisco ISE software and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector that predate the hardening release detailed in Cisco advisory cisco-sa-hardening-ise-XU5EwX5T. The exact triggering feature or configuration is not publicly specified because this CVE is part of a grouped hardening advisory addressing multiple internally discovered issues.
Know when Cisco Ise Passive Identity Connector gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Network-reachable, low-complexity abuse gated behind high-privilege authentication (PR:H); vendor-asserted cross-sphere resource transfer with scope change (S:C) and full C/I/A impact accepted as stated.
Primary rating from Vendor (cisco).
CVSS VectorVendor: cisco
DescriptionCVE.org
As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC), engineering teams have conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in a software hardening release that addresses multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities.
The vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-20194 are related to incorrect resource transfer between spheres that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Pillar CWE-669.
Executive ViewAI
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) - the platforms that anchor enterprise network access control and identity policy - carry a critical-severity vulnerability (CVSS 9.1) that an authenticated user with high privileges could exploit to gain broad confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact with scope change. Because the flaw requires pre-existing administrative credentials, the realistic exposure is a trusted insider or an attacker who has already compromised privileged access, meaning the issue magnifies an existing breach rather than creating a new entry point. Leadership should care because ISE underpins authentication and segmentation decisions across the estate, so manipulation or disruption of this system can cascade into widespread network access and policy failures.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict management interface access to dedicated trusted administrative networks, enforce MFA and least privilege for all ISE administrative accounts, aggressively minimize and monitor the population of high-privilege users, rotate privileged credentials and certificates, enable comprehensive audit logging and anomalous admin activity alerting, and segment ISE/ISE-PIC nodes from general user traffic. Apply the vendor patch as soon as it is released.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Authentication bypass in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector lets an unauthenticated
Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC can be taken over by an unauthenticated, remote attacker who reaches the REST API web servic
Improper access control vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-
Remote, unauthenticated attackers with network access to Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) or ISE Passive Identity Co
Command injection in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (PIC) allows authenticated
Authenticated remote command execution in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-P
Improper input validation in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) all
Information disclosure in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) allows unaut
Improper privilege management in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC)
Path traversal in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) allows a remote, aut
Unauthenticated path traversal in the Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC client provisioning download service allows a remote attacke
Unauthenticated remote attackers who can reach the Cisco Identity Services Engine guest portal can submit forged endpoin
EUVD-2026-81100
GHSA-g4h9-vg33-43r2
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB