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CVE-2026-76460 – Critical Authentication Bypass – Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) 3.1–3.5

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Summary

CVE-2026-76460 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC). Insufficient authentication controls on a REST API endpoint allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the web-based management interface and gain unauthorized access to the affected device. The vulnerability carries the maximum CVSS v3.1 score of 10.0 and is confirmed to be under active exploitation in the wild.

Technical details

  • Root cause: An API endpoint in Cisco ISE lacks sufficient authentication controls (CWE-648: Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs).
  • Trigger conditions: An attacker sends a crafted request to the vulnerable API endpoint on a reachable ISE management/administration interface.
  • Attack vector: Network-based, no authentication or user interaction required (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N).
  • Impact: Successful exploitation bypasses authentication entirely and grants unauthorized access to the device’s web-based management interface, with reports indicating this can lead to root-level command execution on the underlying operating system — allowing attackers to fully compromise the appliance and potentially conceal evidence of compromise.
  • Discovery/exploitation context: The vulnerability was identified during resolution of a Cisco TAC support case, indicating at least one environment was compromised prior to public disclosure. It has been added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on the day of disclosure.

Affected software

  • Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Software: releases 3.1 through 3.5, including specific patch levels prior to the fixed releases below (ISE 3.0 is end-of-life and not evaluated)
  • Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC): versions 3.4.0 and 3.5.0

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 10.0 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade to the first fixed release for your train:
    • ISE 3.1 → Patch 12
    • ISE 3.2 → Patch 11
    • ISE 3.3 → Patch 12
    • ISE 3.4 → Patch 7
    • ISE 3.5 → Patch 4
  • If patching cannot be completed immediately: Cisco has not published a functional workaround for this vulnerability. As an interim mitigation, restrict access to the ISE administration/API interfaces using infrastructure access control lists (ACLs) so that only trusted management networks and hosts can reach the affected endpoint.
  • Given confirmed active exploitation and inclusion in the CISA KEV catalog, treat this as an emergency patching priority and review ISE logs for signs of unauthorized administrative access or unexpected root-level command activity.

References

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