XXE in Cisco Identity Services Engine Software
CVE-2026-20029
A vulnerability in the licensing features of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with administrative privileges to gain access to sensitive information. This vulnerability is due to improper parsing of XML that is processed by the web-based management interface of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a malicious file to the application. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read arbitrary files from the underlying operating system that could include sensitive data that should otherwise be inaccessible even to administrators. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials.
Vulnerability class: XXE (XML External Entity)
EPSS: 0.056 (92.1th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 4.9 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
Affected products
- Cisco Identity Services Engine Software — versions 3.1.0, 3.1.0 p1, 3.1.0 p3
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-20029?
- CVE-2026-20029 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine Software, classified under Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE). CVSS score: 4.9/10. Published 2026-01-07.
- How severe is CVE-2026-20029?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 4.9 out of 10.