CVE-2023-20172 in Identity Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE • 05/18/2023
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated attacker to delete or read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system. To exploit these vulnerabilities, an attacker must have valid credentials on an affected device. For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Details section of this advisory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2025
The Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) represents a critical component in enterprise network security infrastructure, serving as a policy enforcement point that manages network access control and identity verification. These vulnerabilities within the ISE platform present a significant risk to organizations relying on its services for network security operations. The affected system operates on a Linux-based operating system where the vulnerabilities manifest as improper access controls and file system manipulation capabilities that could be exploited by authenticated users with valid credentials. The severity of these flaws escalates when considering that ISE systems typically reside in privileged network positions where they control access to critical infrastructure resources and maintain sensitive authentication data.
The technical exploitation of these vulnerabilities stems from insufficient input validation and inadequate access control mechanisms within the ISE software architecture. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can leverage these flaws to perform unauthorized file operations on the underlying operating system, potentially gaining access to sensitive configuration files, user credentials, or system logs. The vulnerabilities enable arbitrary file read and delete operations that bypass normal security boundaries, allowing malicious actors to access files outside of their intended scope. This weakness aligns with CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory and CWE-73 Hardcoded Permissions, both of which relate to improper access control and path traversal issues that can lead to unauthorized system access.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends far beyond simple data compromise, as they create opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges and potentially gain complete system control. An authenticated attacker could exploit these flaws to read sensitive system files containing cryptographic keys, user authentication data, or network configuration details that could be used to further compromise the network infrastructure. The ability to delete critical system files could result in service disruption, data loss, or system instability that could affect network availability and business operations. Organizations utilizing ISE for network access control and identity management face particular risk, as these vulnerabilities could undermine the very security services that the platform is designed to provide.
Mitigation strategies for these vulnerabilities should focus on immediate credential management and system hardening measures. Organizations must ensure that ISE systems are patched with the latest security updates provided by Cisco to address the specific flaws in file handling and access control. Network segmentation and access control policies should be reviewed to limit the number of users with valid credentials to ISE systems, implementing the principle of least privilege. Monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unauthorized file access attempts or unusual system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should implement network-based intrusion detection systems that can monitor for patterns consistent with file system manipulation activities and maintain regular backups of critical system data to ensure recovery capabilities in case of successful exploitation. These vulnerabilities demonstrate the importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls and implementing comprehensive network security monitoring as recommended in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques.