CVE-2026-76425 in Identity Services Engine
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2026
A vulnerability in the APIs of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct SQL injection attacks against the backend database.
This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of certain parameters that are concatenated directly into an SQL query. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request that contains SQL statements to an affected endpoint. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read arbitrary content from the SQL database and conduct server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the application programming interfaces of Cisco Identity Services Engine, a critical network access control platform used by enterprises to manage device authentication and authorization. This specific vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms applied to certain API parameters that are directly concatenated into Structured Query Language statements without adequate sanitization or parameterized query usage. By failing to properly escape or validate user-supplied data before its inclusion in database queries, the system creates a classic SQL injection vector. An authenticated remote attacker possessing valid administrative credentials can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious HTTP requests containing specially constructed SQL payloads targeting these vulnerable endpoints.
The operational impact of exploiting this vulnerability is severe due to the high privilege level required for exploitation and the sensitive nature of the data stored within the backend database. A successful exploit allows an adversary to read arbitrary content from the underlying SQL database, potentially exposing confidential network topology information, user credentials, policy configurations, and other critical security artifacts. Beyond simple data exfiltration, the vulnerability enables server-side request forgery attacks. This capability arises because certain injection techniques can manipulate how the backend application constructs outbound requests or interacts with internal services, allowing an attacker to force the vulnerable system to initiate connections to unintended destinations under its own identity.
This attack pattern aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-89, which describes Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command. The exploitation technique also maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Injection and potentially Server-Side Request Forgery depending on the specific payload execution path. The requirement for administrative credentials significantly limits the attack surface compared to unauthenticated vulnerabilities but does not eliminate risk, as insider threats or compromised admin accounts remain viable vectors for exploitation.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of Cisco ISE software versions affected by this vulnerability according to vendor advisories. In addition to applying updates, administrators must enforce strict access controls on API endpoints, ensuring that only necessary services and users have permission to interact with these interfaces. Implementing Web Application Firewalls can provide an additional layer of defense by detecting and blocking common SQL injection patterns in HTTP traffic. Regular auditing of administrative account activity and enforcing multi-factor authentication for all privileged accounts further reduces the likelihood of credential compromise leading to exploitation of this flaw.