CVE-2023-20173 in Identity Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE • 05/18/2023
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to read arbitrary files or conduct a server-side request forgery (SSRF) attack through an affected device. To exploit these vulnerabilities, an attacker must have valid Administrator credentials on the 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 management platform that controls network access and enforces security policies across organizational networks. This system operates through a web-based management interface that administrators use to configure and monitor security policies, user authentication, and network access controls. The vulnerabilities identified in CVE-2023-20173 specifically target this management interface, creating potential attack vectors that could compromise the entire security posture of organizations relying on ISE for network protection. These vulnerabilities are particularly concerning as they affect the core management functionality of a system that serves as the central authority for network access control and security enforcement.
The technical flaw manifests through insufficient input validation and improper access controls within the web-based management interface of Cisco ISE. Attackers with valid administrator credentials can exploit these weaknesses to perform arbitrary file reads, potentially accessing sensitive configuration files, authentication credentials, or other confidential data stored on the system. Additionally, the vulnerabilities enable server-side request forgery attacks that allow adversaries to make unauthorized requests from the ISE server to internal or external systems. These SSRF capabilities can be leveraged to bypass security controls, access internal network resources, or conduct further reconnaissance against the organization's infrastructure. The attack vectors exploit path traversal mechanisms and inadequate validation of user-supplied input parameters within the management interface components.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends beyond simple data exposure to potentially compromise the entire network security architecture managed by ISE. Successful exploitation could provide attackers with access to sensitive network policies, user credentials, and configuration data that could be used to escalate privileges or conduct lateral movement within the network. The SSRF capabilities particularly threaten internal network resources by enabling attackers to make requests to internal services that should normally be isolated from external access. This vulnerability chain could allow adversaries to discover internal services, potentially access databases or other sensitive systems, and establish persistent access points within the network infrastructure. Organizations using ISE as their primary policy enforcement platform face significant risk of complete compromise if these vulnerabilities are exploited.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches released by Cisco to address the identified vulnerabilities in the ISE management interface. Network segmentation and access controls should be enhanced to limit administrative access to the ISE management interface, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to the system. Monitoring and logging should be implemented to detect unusual access patterns or file access attempts that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their ISE deployments to identify and remediate any additional configuration issues that could compound the risk from these vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes these vulnerabilities under privilege escalation and reconnaissance techniques, while CWE classification indicates weaknesses in input validation and access control mechanisms that require immediate remediation to maintain network security integrity.