Unauthenticated Administrative Access via REST API Flaw in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC
Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC contain an authentication bypass (CWE-290) in their REST API web service, which is exposed with insufficient authorization checks. An unauthenticated, remote attacker can exploit it by sending a crafted HTTP request to the exposed REST API port, requiring no credentials or user interaction. A successful exploit grants administrative privileges over the device, letting the attacker read and modify ISE configuration and identity data. Any organization running an affected Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC deployment is affected, with risk highest where the REST API port is reachable from untrusted networks. No public proof-of-concept or in-the-wild exploitation is currently known, and the flaw is not yet listed in CISA's KEV catalog.
What to do: Upgrade ISE and ISE-PIC to the fixed releases identified in the Cisco PSIRT advisory for CVE-2026-76423. As an interim mitigation, restrict network access to the ISE REST API port to trusted management networks and disable the REST API service where it is not required. Review ISE logs for unauthenticated or anomalous administrative API requests, and treat configuration and identity data on exposed deployments as potentially compromised.
| Product | Affected |
|---|---|
| Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) | — |
| Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) | — |
Order-of-magnitude estimate by the model from install counts, market share and public scan data it knows; verify before quoting.
A vulnerability in the REST API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to gain administrative access to an affected device. This vulnerability is due to the REST API web service being exposed with insufficient authorization checks. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the exposed REST API port. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read and modify ISE configuration and identity data with administrative privileges.
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