Unauthenticated Management Interface Bypass in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC
CISA: Cisco Identity Services Engine Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerability
CVSS 3.1
10.0critical
EPSS
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Published
()
KEV added
AI analysis
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and the Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) contain an incorrect use of privileged APIs flaw (CWE-648) affecting the web-based management interface. An unauthenticated, remote attacker with network access to that interface can send requests that invoke privileged APIs without authenticating, bypassing the interface's access controls. Successful exploitation grants the attacker unauthorized access to the affected device, presumably with the administrative capabilities available through the management interface, such as control over network access policy and visibility into identity data. Any organization running an affected Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC release is potentially affected, with risk highest where the management interface is reachable from untrusted networks. The flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-09-16, indicating exploitation in the wild, though no public proof-of-concept is known and CVSS scoring is pending.
What to do: Upgrade ISE and ISE-PIC to the fixed releases specified in Cisco's security advisory (fixed versions are not provided in the available data); because the flaw is on CISA's KEV list, federal agencies must patch or apply mitigations per BOD 26-04 timelines. Until patched, restrict access to the web-based management interface to trusted administrative networks only, verify no unintended exposure via firewalls/ACLs, and monitor for unauthenticated access attempts against the interface.
Affected
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
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Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC)
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Estimated exposure
large≈10,000–100,000 ISE/ISE-PIC appliance deployments worldwide, of which an estimated low thousands have internet-reachable management interfaces — Cisco ISE is one of the most widely deployed enterprise network access control and identity platforms, concentrated in large enterprises and government networks, but exploitation requires network reachability to the web management…
Order-of-magnitude estimate by the model from install counts, market share and public scan data it knows; verify before quoting.
Description
A vulnerability in an API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication. This vulnerability is due to insufficient authentication control on an API endpoint. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to an affected API endpoint. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain unauthorized access to the affected device by bypassing the web-based management interface.
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability
Affected
Cisco Identity Services Engine
Required action
Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
Cisco's CVSS 10.0 CVE-2026-76460 authentication bypass in Identity Services Engine is actively exploited, granting unauthenticated attackers root command execution.
Cisco disclosed CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0), an authentication bypass in Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE-PIC APIs that gives unauthenticated remote attackers command execution with root privileges; CISA added it to the KEV catalog. It follows CVE-2026-76461 (CVSS 9.8), an actively exploited flaw in Cisco Secure Email Gateway and Secure Email and Web Manager disclosed days earlier. Permanent fixes ship in ISE 3.1 Patch 12 through 3.5 Patch 4; ISE 3.0 is end-of-maintenance and ISE 3.1 Patch 12, 3.2 Patch 11, 3.3 Patch 12, 3.4 Patch 7 and 3.5 Patch 4 are available. No workaround exists, though ACLs restricting management traffic can serve as temporary mitigation.
Cisco warns that CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0) in Identity Services Engine is actively exploited, enabling unauthenticated root access; CISA added it to KEV.
Cisco disclosed CVE-2026-76460, a CVSS 10.0 flaw caused by insufficient control of an API endpoint in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC, allowing crafted requests to bypass the web-based management interface and potentially obtain root command execution. Active exploitation is confirmed; patches are available and no workarounds exist, though infrastructure access control lists can restrict management traffic as an interim measure. CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, requiring FCEB agencies to prioritize patching. Cisco urges checking access.log on every node, reimaging suspected compromised nodes, and reviewing external firewall logs for unexpected uploads.
Cisco warns CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0), an unauthenticated ISE auth bypass leading to root command execution, is under active exploitation and was added to CISA's KEV.
Cisco warned that CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0), an insufficient-authentication flaw in an Identity Services Engine (ISE) API endpoint, is being actively exploited by unauthenticated remote attackers and can yield root-privilege command execution on ISE and ISE-PIC regardless of configuration. Fixes shipped across ISE 3.1 through 3.5 patch branches; Cisco advised reviewing access.log for unexpected usernames (e.g., "dummyuser"), re-imaging affected nodes, and using iACLs, since no workarounds exist. CISA added the flaw to its KEV catalog on September 16, 2026, requiring FCEB agencies to patch by September 19. Cisco simultaneously issued 77 new CVEs, 41 affecting ISE and 28 affecting Secure Firewall products, days after confirming active exploitation of CVE-2026-76461 in Secure Email Gateway.
Cisco urgently patched actively exploited zero-day CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0), an ISE authentication bypass enabling root command execution; CISA added it to KEV.
Cisco released emergency patches for CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0), a zero-day authentication bypass in an API endpoint of Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC), and confirmed active exploitation in the wild. Successful exploitation lets attackers bypass the web-based management interface and execute commands with root privileges, allowing them to hide or delete indicators of compromise. Fixed releases are ISE/ISE-PIC 3.5 Patch 4, 3.4 Patch 7, 3.3 Patch 12, 3.2 Patch 11, and 3.1 Patch 12; no workarounds exist beyond restricting traffic with infrastructure ACLs. CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, giving US federal agencies three days to patch under BOD 26-04.
Cisco confirms zero-day CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0) in ISE is under active exploitation, granting unauthenticated root command execution; patches released.
Cisco's PSIRT issued an urgent advisory for CVE-2026-76460, an authentication bypass via insufficient controls on an API endpoint in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC, confirmed to be actively exploited with a CVSS score of 10.0. Exploitation can yield root-level command execution, enabling persistence, credential theft, and lateral movement from the network policy platform. Fixed releases are ISE 3.1 Patch 12, 3.2 Patch 11, 3.3 Patch 12, 3.4 Patch 7, and 3.5 Patch 4; EOL version 3.0 requires migration, and iACLs offer only temporary mitigation. The flaw was discovered while resolving a TAC support case, and Cisco provides hunting guidance including access.log review and firewall log analysis.
Cisco confirmed CVE-2026-76460, an actively exploited unauthenticated authentication bypass in Cisco ISE APIs, urging immediate patching with no workarounds available.
Cisco confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2026-76460, caused by insufficient authentication control on an ISE API endpoint. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can send a crafted request to bypass the web-based management interface and gain unauthorized access to affected devices. The flaw affects Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC releases 3.0 through 3.5; fixes are 3.1 Patch 12, 3.2 Patch 11, 3.3 Patch 12, 3.4 Patch 7, and 3.5 Patch 4, with no workarounds. Cisco provided IoCs, advises checking access.log for suspicious usernames, cross-checking firewall and network logs, and re-imaging suspect nodes since attackers may delete ISE logs.
Cisco patched CVE-2026-76460, a maximum-severity authentication bypass in Identity Services Engine actively exploited in attacks; CISA added it to KEV with a three-day federal deadline.
CVE-2026-76460 is a maximum-severity authentication bypass in an API endpoint of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE-PIC, exploitable regardless of configuration, allowing attackers to access the web-based management interface. Cisco PSIRT confirmed active exploitation; no workarounds exist, and fixed releases are available for ISE 3.1 through 3.5, with re-imaging of suspect nodes recommended. CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog and ordered federal agencies to patch within three days. Cisco also patched CVE-2026-76423 and five other critical ISE flaws (CVE-2026-20176, CVE-2026-20211, CVE-2026-20307, CVE-2026-20284) that are not yet flagged as exploited.
CISA added actively exploited flaws in Cisco ISE, Acronis Backup, and Google Pixel (CVE-2026-76460, CVE-2026-87886, CVE-2026-58704) to its KEV catalog.
CISA added three actively exploited vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: CVE-2026-76460 (CVSS 10.0), an unauthenticated API authentication bypass in Cisco Identity Services Engine that Cisco confirms is being actively exploited; CVE-2026-87886, a local privilege escalation in the Acronis Backup plugins for cPanel/WHM and Plesk exploited in limited targeted attacks; and CVE-2026-58704 (CVSS 8.8), a Google Pixel cellular modem permission bypass exploited in limited, targeted attacks and patched in the September 2026 Pixel update. Under BOD 22-01, federal agencies must remediate KEV entries by the stated due dates. Google has not attributed the Pixel exploitation to any actor.
CISA added actively exploited Cisco ISE authentication bypass CVE-2026-76460 to its KEV catalog, urging patches by September 19, 2026.
Cisco patched CVE-2026-76460, a critical authentication bypass in Cisco Identity Services Engine and ISE Passive Identity Connector caused by insufficient authentication controls on an API endpoint. An unauthenticated remote attacker can send a crafted request to bypass the web-based management interface and gain unauthorized access. CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog and set a September 19, 2026 remediation deadline. Fixed releases span ISE 3.1 Patch 12 through 3.5 Patch 4; release 3.0 is end-of-maintenance and requires an upgrade.
Cisco patched CVE-2026-76460, a CVSS 10.0 authentication bypass in ISE and ISE-PIC that can grant unauthenticated attackers root access.
Cisco's advisory cisco-sa-ISE-ABP-VNSW7Tn5 (September 16, 2026) describes CVE-2026-76460, insufficient authentication controls (CWE-648) on an exposed API endpoint in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC, rated CVSS 10.0. Successful exploitation lets an unauthenticated remote attacker bypass management interface authentication and potentially obtain command-and-control with root privileges, enabling log tampering and persistence. Software updates are available with no workarounds; Cisco urges prioritized patching, log review for suspicious usernames, and reimaging of suspect nodes.
CISA added actively exploited CVE-2026-76460 (Cisco Identity Services Engine) and CVE-2026-87886 (Acronis Backup) to its KEV catalog.
CISA added two vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog based on evidence of active exploitation: CVE-2026-76460, an incorrect use of privileged APIs flaw in Cisco Identity Services Engine, and CVE-2026-87886, an incorrect default permissions flaw in Acronis Backup. Under Binding Operational Directive 26-04, Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies must prioritize rapid remediation of KEV vulnerabilities on publicly exposed assets that grant total control post-exploitation, and check whether systems were compromised before patching.