INE Security Alert: Critical Cisco ISE Vulnerabilities Demand Immediate Attention

Three maximum-severity vulnerabilities allow unauthenticated remote attackers to gain complete system control

Cary, NC, July 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INE, a leading provider of enterprise IT training, cybersecurity education, and network security training, today responded to Cisco's urgent security advisory regarding three critical vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) that pose an extreme threat to enterprise network security.

The vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2025-20281, CVE-2025-20282, and CVE-2025-20337, have each been assigned the maximum Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score of 10.0, representing the highest possible severity rating. All three flaws allow unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on affected systems.

Expert Analysis: The Worst-Case Scenario

"These vulnerabilities represent a cybersecurity nightmare scenario," said Brian McGahan, CCIE in Security and Director of Networking Content at INE. "When you have three separate bugs, each scoring a perfect 10 out of 10 on the CVSS scale, you're looking at the worst possible combination of factors: maximum exploitability, zero authentication requirements, and complete system compromise. This is effectively a master key that hands over the entire network infrastructure to any attacker who can reach these systems. For professionals with Cisco training and network security expertise, this represents exactly the kind of scenario we prepare organizations to prevent and respond to."

McGahan continued, "What makes this particularly alarming is that ISE sits at the heart of network security infrastructure for most enterprise environments. Compromising ISE doesn't just give an attacker access to one system—it potentially gives them the ability to control who gets access to what throughout the entire network. We're talking about a single point of failure that could unravel an organization's entire IT security posture. This incident highlights why comprehensive network security training and ongoing Cisco training are essential for modern IT professionals."

Technical Details and Impact

The three vulnerabilities affect different components and versions:

• CVE-2025-20281 and CVE-2025-20337: Affect ISE and ISE-PIC releases 3.3 and 3.4, exploiting insufficient input validation in specific APIs
• CVE-2025-20282: Affects only ISE and ISE-PIC release 3.4, allowing arbitrary file uploads to privileged directories

All vulnerabilities can be exploited remotely without authentication, requiring only that an attacker can reach the affected system over a network. Successfully exploited, these flaws grant attackers:

• Complete root-level access to the underlying operating system
• Ability to execute arbitrary commands
• Potential for lateral movement throughout the network
• Access to sensitive identity and authentication data
• Capability to modify or disable security policies

Immediate Action Required

Organizations running affected versions must take immediate action:

Critical Patches Available:

• ISE Release 3.3: Upgrade to 3.3 Patch 7
• ISE Release 3.4: Upgrade to 3.4 Patch 2

Important Notes:

• Organizations currently running Release 3.4 Patch 2 require no further action
• Those on Release 3.3 Patch 6 must upgrade to Patch 7 immediately
• Previous hot patches (ise-apply-CSCwo99449_3.3.0.430_patch4-SPA.tar.gz and ise-apply-CSCwo99449_3.4.0.608_patch1-SPA.tar.gz) do NOT protect against CVE-2025-20337 and have been deprecated by Cisco

Industry Impact and Response

The vulnerabilities were discovered through responsible disclosure by security researchers Bobby Gould of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative and Kentaro Kawane of GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae. Cisco's Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) reports no evidence of active exploitation in the wild at this time.

However, given the critical nature of these vulnerabilities and the central role ISE plays in enterprise security infrastructure, security experts anticipate these flaws will become high-priority targets for threat actors.

INE's Commitment to Cybersecurity Education

As organizations race to patch these vulnerabilities, INE emphasizes the critical importance of comprehensive IT training, network security training, and incident response preparedness for cybersecurity teams.

"This situation underscores why continuous education and specialized IT training in vulnerability management and incident response are not optional; they're business-critical," McGahan noted. "Organizations need teams that can quickly assess, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities like these. The window between disclosure and exploitation continues to shrink, making skilled cybersecurity professionals with solid network security training and Cisco training more valuable than ever."

Recommendations for Organizations

INE recommends that organizations take the following immediate steps:

1. Inventory and Identify: Immediately inventory all Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC installations to determine versions in use
2. Prioritize Patching: Treat these vulnerabilities as critical security incidents requiring emergency maintenance windows
3. Monitor Networks: Implement enhanced monitoring for unusual activity around ISE systems
4. Review Access Controls: Audit and restrict network access to ISE systems where possible
5. Incident Response Planning: Ensure incident response teams are prepared for potential compromise scenarios
6. Staff Training: Verify that cybersecurity teams are equipped with the latest knowledge through comprehensive IT training programs covering network security, Cisco training, and vulnerability management

About INE Security:

INE Security is the award-winning premier provider of online networking and cybersecurity training and certification. Harnessing a powerful hands-on lab platform, cutting-edge technology, a global video distribution network, and world-class instructors, INE is the top training choice for Fortune 500 companies worldwide for cybersecurity training in business and for IT professionals looking to advance their careers. INE’s suite of learning paths offers an incomparable depth of expertise across cybersecurity and is committed to delivering advanced technical training while also lowering the barriers worldwide for those looking to enter and excel in an IT career.

Kathryn Brown
INE
kbrown@ine.com

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