CVE-2025-20281 — A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an…¶

Key facts

CVE-2025-20281 is a Critical (10.0) vulnerability: A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2025-07-28), confirming active exploitation in the wild.

Actively exploited — on the CISA KEV catalog

CVE-2025-20281 is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2025-07-28), confirming exploitation in the wild. Federal remediation deadline: 2025-08-18. Prioritise patching and deploy the detection and prevention rules below.


CVE	CVE-2025-20281
Severity	Critical (10.0)
CISA KEV	Actively exploited (added 2025-07-28)
Detection / prevention	—
PoC	poc.py
Source	2025/CVE-2025-20281/

Details¶

English | 한국어

Description¶

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.

Vulnerability Details¶

Property	Value
CVE ID	CVE-2025-20281
CVSS Score	10.0

Proof of Concept¶

Download¶

# Download PoC script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fankh/vulnerability-poc/main/2025/CVE-2025-20281/poc.py

Usage¶

# Run PoC against target
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL>

# With authentication
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL> --username <USER> --password <PASS>

⚠️ Warning: This PoC is for authorized security testing only. It uses detection-only techniques and does not exploit or damage target systems.

Test Lab¶

This repository includes a Docker-based test environment with both vulnerable and patched applications.

Quick Start¶

# Clone and navigate to CVE directory
cd CVE-2025-20281

# Start both applications
docker-compose up -d

# Run tests
./run-tests.sh    # Linux/Mac
./run-tests.ps1   # Windows PowerShell

Application Endpoints¶

Application	URL	Status
Vulnerable App	http://localhost:8080	Shows vulnerability
Patched App	http://localhost:8081	Demonstrates fix

Directory Structure¶

├── README.md           # English documentation
├── README_KO.md        # Korean documentation
├── poc.py              # PoC detection script
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── run-tests.sh        # Linux/Mac test runner
├── run-tests.ps1       # Windows test runner
├── vulnerable-app/     # Vulnerable version
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── requirements.txt
└── patched-app/        # Fixed version
    ├── app.py
    ├── Dockerfile
    └── requirements.txt

References¶

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-unauth-rce-ZAd2GnJ6
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-20281
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/blog/2025/7/24/cve-2025-20281-cisco-ise-api-unauthenticated-remote-code-execution-vulnerability

Generated by PoC Generator on 2026-06-23T12:16:31.918045094

Frequently asked questions¶

What is CVE-2025-20281?¶

CVE-2025-20281 is a Critical (10.0) vulnerability: A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2025-07-28), confirming active exploitation in the wild.

How do I detect CVE-2025-20281?¶

Run the detection-only PoC included with this entry against your Docker test lab to confirm whether a target is affected; pair it with your own IDS logging.

How do I block or mitigate CVE-2025-20281?¶

Upgrade to a fixed version per the vendor advisory; the NVD record lists the affected versions. Use the included PoC to verify your remediation.

Is CVE-2025-20281 actively exploited?¶

Yes. CVE-2025-20281 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 2025-07-28, which means it has been exploited in the wild. CISA set a federal remediation deadline of 2025-08-18. Prioritise patching and deploy the detection and prevention rules above.

For authorized security testing and research only. See the full source and NVD record.