How severe is CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2025-20281 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2025-20281 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2025-07-28, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 primarily affects Cisco Identity Services Engine. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2025-20281?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2025-20281 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2025-20281 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-19167. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2025-07-28).

When was CVE-2025-20281 published?

CVE-2025-20281 was published on 2025-06-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2025-20281

CVE-2025-20281 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine with a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2025-07-28). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-74.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 10.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 97% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2025-07-28)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-19167
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2025-07-28)
Weakness: CWE-74
Affected product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
Published: 2025-06-25
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as root. The attacker does not require any valid credentials to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted API request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain root privileges on an affected device.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-20281?: A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as root. The attacker does not require any valid credentials to exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted API request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain root privileges on an affected device.
How severe is CVE-2025-20281?: CVE-2025-20281 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 10.0, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2025-20281 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2025-20281 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2025-07-28, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-20281?: CVE-2025-20281 primarily affects Cisco Identity Services Engine. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-20281?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2025-20281 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2025-20281 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-19167. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2025-07-28).
When was CVE-2025-20281 published?: CVE-2025-20281 was published on 2025-06-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (18)

cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.3.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.3.0:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.3.0:patch2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.3.0:patch3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.3.0:patch4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.3.0:patch5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.3.0:patch6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.4.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.4.0:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.3.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.3.0:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.3.0:patch2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.3.0:patch3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.3.0:patch4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.3.0:patch5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.3.0:patch6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.4.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector:3.4.0:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*

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