Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain valid ISE admin credentials
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DeliverySend crafted request to vulnerable API
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ExploitInject malicious SQL/HQL into query
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ExecutionExecute unauthorized database read/write
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ImpactModify unauthorized data
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Parameterized queries in ORM
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires valid administrative credentials on the affected Cisco ISE or ISE Passive Identity Connector device (CVSS PR:H) - this is the primary limiting factor and reduces the realistic attacker population to those with legitimate admin access or who have already compromised such an account. Beyond authentication, the attacker only needs network reach to the affected management APIs and no user interaction (UI:N). Affected releases span ISE/ISE-PIC 3.1 through 3.5 (including numerous patch levels per EUVD); there is no indication of a non-default configuration requirement - the vulnerable APIs appear present in standard deployments. The high administrative-privilege prerequisite is the key constraint defenders should weigh against the raw injection severity. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but low-urgency vulnerability. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N, base 4.9) shows a network-reachable but heavily gated flaw: PR:H means the attacker must already hold valid administrative credentials on the ISE/ISE-PIC device. Cisco scores impact as integrity-only (I:H, C:N/A:N), meaning the vendor characterizes the outcome as unauthorized data modification rather than mass exfiltration or denial of service. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so all three real-world exploitation signals are either absent or negative - no evidence of active or imminent exploitation. Note a discrepancy worth flagging: the description explicitly states an attacker could 'view or modify data,' which implies a confidentiality impact, yet the vendor vector sets C:N - verify with Cisco whether read-out is truly out of scope, because arbitrary SQL/HQL query execution typically enables data disclosure (C:H) as well. Overall this is a moderate, credential-gated post-authentication issue best triaged by patch cycle rather than as an emergency, given the high privilege prerequisite and lack of exploitation evidence. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already obtained valid administrative credentials for a Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC deployment (e.g., via credential theft, insider access, or a chained lower-privilege flaw) sends a crafted request to a vulnerable API endpoint. Insufficient input validation lets the crafted parameters alter the backend SQL or HQL query, allowing the attacker to read or modify database records outside their authorization boundary. No public proof-of-concept is currently available. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 16, 2026
SQL and HQL injection in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) lets an authenticated remote attacker with administrative credentials execute arbitrary database queries against the underlying data store, potentially reading or modifying data outside their authorization. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input to affected management APIs before it is used to construct database queries, and it is exploitable over the network without user interaction (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N per independent assessment). The high-privilege prerequisite is the main limiting factor: no public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis, and no EPSS probability was supplied, making this a genuine but low-urgency issue for most deployments.
RemediationAI
Patch status could not be confirmed from the supplied data: no fixed version string is included, so administrators should consult Cisco's advisory at https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-multisql-inject-JnHK54Rq and apply the remediation release Cisco identifies for their 3.1/3.2/3.3/3.4/3.5 train (Cisco typically publishes both a fixed maintenance release and, where feasible, a patch/SMU for the current train). Because exploitation requires valid administrative credentials, the highest-value compensating controls are credential and access-surface reduction: restrict management GUI/API reachability to a dedicated admin VLAN or jump host via ACLs and firewall rules (side effect: remote admins must route through the jump host), enforce least privilege and remove or disable dormant admin and service accounts (side effect: could disrupt automation scripts using those accounts), and require MFA for all ISE administrative logins to blunt credential-theft-based exploitation. Enable and forward ISE audit and database logs to a SIEM, and alert on anomalous or unusually complex API calls and unexpected HQL/SQL patterns from administrative sessions, since post-exploitation activity would appear as legitimate admin traffic; note that log-based detection is a detective, not preventive, control and can generate false positives in script-heavy environments. If a fixed release cannot be deployed immediately, isolate the deployment's management plane and temporarily throttle or allowlist administrative API consumers as an interim risk reduction.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 packages in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is classified as CWE-564 (SQL Injection: Hibernate), meaning the affected APIs build Hibernate Query Language (HQL) or native SQL statements from user-controlled input without adequate sanitization, allowing query structure or predicates to be altered by the caller. Cisco ISE is a network access control and identity management platform whose administrative web/API surface manages policy, posture, and identity data; because the vulnerable queries run against ISE's backing database with the application's own privileges, a successful injection can disclose or alter identity, policy, and audit records beyond the attacker's intended scope. CPE data confirms the affected product families are cisco_identity_services_engine_software and cisco_ise_passive_identity_connector, with ISE-PIC being the standalone passive identity/pxGrid-to-AD connector derived from the same codebase. The independent assessment raises the impact to High confidentiality and High integrity (C:H/I:H), noting the affected APIs appear present in standard, default deployments rather than requiring a non-default configuration, so exposure is governed almost entirely by who can reach the management interface with admin rights.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
PR:H because valid admin credentials are mandatory; I chose C:H (diverging from vendor C:N) because the description states data can be viewed via arbitrary SQL/HQL, implying disclosure alongside modification.
Primary rating from Vendor (cisco).
CVSS VectorVendor: cisco
DescriptionCVE.org
A vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct an SQL or HQL injection attack on an affected device.
This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input to the affected APIs before it is used to build database queries. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary SQL or HQL queries against the underlying database, which could allow the attacker to view or modify data that they are not authorized to access. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials.
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
Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.
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
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) contain multiple internally discovered
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
EUVD-2026-81147
GHSA-354c-7hjw-qvq2
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB