CVE-2023-20193 Command injection in Cisco Identity Services Engine Software
Authenticated local attackers with admin privileges can exploit improper privilege management in the ESR console to escalate to root and manipulate arbitrary files.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2023-20193?
CVE-2023-20193 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine, published on 7 Sep 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A vulnerability in the Embedded Service Router (ESR) of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, local attacker to read, write, or delete arbitrary files on the underlying operating system and escalate their privileges to root. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have valid Administrator-level privileges on the affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper privilege management in the ESR console. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate their privileges to root and read, write, or delete arbitrary files from the underlying operating system of the affected device. Note: The ESR is not enabled by default and must be licensed. To verify the status of the ESR in the Admin GUI, choose Administration > Settings > Protocols > IPSec.
Weakness: CWE-78
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-20193?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Cisco Identity Services Engine.
How do I fix CVE-2023-20193?
No fix has been published for CVE-2023-20193 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.
Is CVE-2023-20193 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-20193 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine
- CVE-2026-76460 Cisco Identity Services Engine Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs
- CVE-2025-20337 Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection
- CVE-2025-20281 Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection
- CVE-2026-20130 Cisco Identity Services Engine Hardening Release - Improper Neutralization Vulnerabilities
- CVE-2026-20192 Cisco Identity Services Engine Hardening Release - Access Control Vulnerabilities
Sources
Also known as GHSA-xh9q-385r-j657.