# CVE-2025-20264: Cisco Identity Services Engine Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

> Authenticated attackers can bypass authorization to modify system settings and trigger restarts in Cisco ISE deployments using SAML SSO.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L`)
- **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:** 25 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2g95-q4q6-2mjq

## What is CVE-2025-20264?

CVE-2025-20264 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine, published on 25 Jun 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to bypass the authorization mechanisms for specific administrative functions.

This vulnerability is due to insufficient authorization enforcement mechanisms for users created by SAML SSO integration with an external identity provider. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a series of specific commands to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to modify a limited number of system settings, including some that would result in a system restart. In single-node Cisco ISE deployments, devices that are not authenticated to the network will not be able to authenticate until the Cisco ISE system comes back online. 

Weakness: CWE-285 (Improper Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20264?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Identity Services Engine.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20264?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-20264 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-20264 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20264 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## 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-2025-20264 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20264 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine, published on 25 Jun 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-2025-20264 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-2025-20264/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20264/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20264
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20264
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20264

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20264/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.