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CVE-2026-76460

A vulnerability in an API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication.

Critical Known exploited
Severity
10.0 / 10
Critical · CVSS 3.1
Exploit chance (EPSS)
75.60%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Higher than 99.52% of scored vulnerabilities.
Known exploited
Yes
In CISA's catalog since Sep 16, 2026
Weakness
CWE-648 Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs
Fix
None yet
No fixed version published
Exploited in the wild. Cisco Identity Services Engine Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerability (Cisco Identity Services Engine). Required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines. Due for U.S. federal agencies by Sep 19, 2026.

Description

A vulnerability in an API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication.

This vulnerability is due to insufficient authentication control on an API endpoint. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to an affected API endpoint. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain unauthorized access to the affected device by bypassing the web-based management interface.

How to fix

No fixed version has been published yet. Until one is, remove or replace the package, or turn off or isolate the affected feature. This page updates when a fix ships.

Severity breakdown

CVSS 3.1 10.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Weakness

CWE-648: Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs

The product does not conform to the API requirements for a function call that requires extra privileges. This could allow attackers to gain privileges by causing the function to be called incorrectly.

How to prevent it
  • Implementation: Before calling privileged APIs, always ensure that the assumptions made by the privileged code hold true prior to making the call.
  • Architecture and Design: Know architecture and implementation weaknesses of the privileged APIs and make sure to account for these weaknesses before calling the privileged APIs to ensure that they can be called safely.
  • Implementation: If privileged APIs make certain assumptions about data, context or state validity that are passed by the caller, the calling code must ensure that these assumptions have been validated prior to making the call.
  • Implementation: If privileged APIs do not shed their privilege prior to returning to the calling code, then calling code needs to shed these privileges immediately and safely right after the call to the privileged APIs. In particular, the calling code needs to ensure that a privileged thread of execution will never be returned to the user or made available to user-controlled processes.
  • Implementation: Only call privileged APIs from safe, consistent and expected state.
  • Implementation: Ensure that a failure or an error will not leave a system in a state where privileges are not properly shed and privilege escalation is possible (i.e. fail securely with regards to handling of privileges).

References

Advisories

Other links

Timeline

  1. Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
  2. Published
  3. Remediation due for U.S. federal agencies
  4. Last updated by the source
  5. Latest EPSS score
AdvisorySeverityWhy it's related
GHSA-gg9v-mgcp-v6m7
OpenClaw: Unbound bootstrap setup codes allow privilege escalation during pairing
Critical Same weakness, CWE-648
GHSA-g5cg-8x5w-7jpm
OpenClaw: Heartbeat context inheritance bypasses sandbox via senderIsOwner escalation
Critical Same weakness, CWE-648
GHSA-h4jx-hjr3-fhgc
OpenClaw: Gateway Plugin Subagent Fallback `deleteSession` Uses Synthetic `operator.admin`
High Same weakness, CWE-648
GHSA-qm2m-28pf-hgjw
OpenClaw: Gateway Plugin HTTP Auth Grants Unrestricted operator.admin Runtime Scope to All Callers
High Same weakness, CWE-648
GHSA-fqw4-mph7-2vr8
OpenClaw: Silent privilege escalation via gateway shared-auth reconnect
High Same weakness, CWE-648
GHSA-9hjh-fr4f-gxc4
OpenClaw: Gateway Backend Reconnect lets Non-Admin Operator Scopes Self-Claim operator.admin
High Same weakness, CWE-648
GHSA-hf68-49fm-59cq
OpenClaw Gateway: RCE and Privilege Escalation from operator.pairing to operator.admin via device.pair.approve
High Same weakness, CWE-648
CVE-2026-20122
A vulnerability in the API of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to overwrite arbitrary files on the local file system.
Medium Known exploited Same weakness, CWE-648
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