# CVE-2025-20125: Cisco Identity Services Engine Insufficient Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

> Authenticated attackers with read-only credentials can bypass authorization to access sensitive data, modify configurations, and restart nodes.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hrpp-92f9-h887

## What is CVE-2025-20125?

CVE-2025-20125 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine, published on 5 Feb 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in an API of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with valid read-only credentials to obtain sensitive information, change node configurations, and restart the node.

This vulnerability is due to a lack of authorization in a specific API and improper validation of user-supplied data. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to a specific API on the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to attacker to obtain information, modify system configuration, and reload the device.
Note: To successfully exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid read-only administrative credentials. In a single-node deployment, new devices will not be able to authenticate during the reload time.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), CWE-285 (Improper Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20125?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Identity Services Engine.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20125?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20125 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20125 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20125 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Cisco ISE 3.0 - Authorization Bypass (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Identity Services Engine

- [CVE-2026-76460](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76460/): Cisco Identity Services Engine Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-20337](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20337/): Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-20281](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20281/): Cisco Identity Services Engine Injection (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-20130](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20130/): Cisco Identity Services Engine Hardening Release - Improper Neutralization Vulnerabilities (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-20192](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20192/): Cisco Identity Services Engine Hardening Release - Access Control Vulnerabilities (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20125 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20125 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine, published on 5 Feb 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20125 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Identity Services Engine. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20125/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20125/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20125
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20125
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20125

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20125/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.