How severe is CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 has a CVSS score of 10/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2025-20281?

Affected package information for CVE-2025-20281 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2025-20281?

No fixed version has been published for CVE-2025-20281 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates, apply mitigations recommended by the vendor, and use O3 Security to track when a fix becomes available in your stack.

Is CVE-2025-20281 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2025-20281, including . All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 33.5%, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

Is CVE-2025-20281 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2025-20281 (Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2025-07-28. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2025-08-18. The required action was: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 is classified as CWE-74 (CWE-74). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2025-20281?

CVE-2025-20281 affects cisco identity services engine (2 versions, e.g. 3.3.0, 3.4.0); cisco identity services engine passive identity connector (2 versions, e.g. 3.3.0, 3.4.0). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2025-20281?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2025-20281, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2025-20281 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2025-20281 was published on June 25, 2025 and was last updated on October 28, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2025-07-28 — agencies required to remediate by 2025-08-18

CVE-2025-20281

CRITICAL

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.…

Published

Jun 25, 2025

Updated

Oct 28, 2025

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

3 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

33.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk97th percentile-0.68%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Description

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.

Affected Products

2 products · 18 configurations

Application

identity services enginecisco

2 versions

3.3.03.4.0

Application

identity services engine passive identity connectorcisco

2 versions

3.3.03.4.0

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

abrewer251/CVE-2025-20281-2-Cisco-ISE-RCE

Unauthenticated Python PoC for CVE-2025-20281 RCE against ISE ERS API

⭐ 20🍴 10Jan 2026

grupooruss/CVE-2025-20281-Cisco

This script checks for the presence of the **CVE-2025-20281** vulnerabil

⭐ 6🍴 2Dec 2025

ill-deed/Cisco-CVE-2025-20281-illdeed

Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution exploit for CVE-2025-20281 in Cisc

⭐ 5🍴 2Jan 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2025-20281 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2025-20281 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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