CVE-2026-76460: Cisco Identity Services Engine Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs Vulnerability
Yash Patel6 min read
Known exploitation makes this an urgent exposure review for teams running Cisco Identity Services Engine.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) contain an incorrect use of privileged APIs vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to gain unauthorized access to the affected device by bypassing the web-based management interface. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Compare the exact product, branch, package, platform, and vendor status. An upstream version boundary is not proof that a distribution backport or appliance firmware is vulnerable or fixed.
How the vulnerability works
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. CVE CNA: cisco
Cisco Identity Services Engine commonly protects an internet edge or management boundary. Exposure there can affect remote access, traffic inspection, credentials, and the trust placed in downstream systems.
How to check your systems
Continue reading the full briefing.
Check the running firmware and model, restrict management access, compare configuration changes and new accounts, preserve independent logs, and rotate credentials if compromise cannot be excluded.
Record the running product build and enabled component from the vendor-supported inventory interface. Compare it with each affected range above, then check the documented authentication and network prerequisites. Keep the output, asset identifier, observation time, and advisory revision with the change ticket.
How to fix
Permanent remediation
Inventory internet-facing and management-plane appliances, including standby nodes and unsupported firmware.
Apply the latest vendor remediation or isolate the vulnerable path when immediate patching is not possible.
Review administrator logins, configuration exports, new accounts, VPN activity, and outbound connections; rotate credentials if compromise cannot be excluded.
Validate the fixed version and control health, then record any exception with an owner and expiry date.
Official remediation direction: CISA due date: 2026-09-19. This deadline applies to covered US federal civilian agencies; other organizations should set a risk-based deadline. 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. Official action
If you cannot patch yet
No product-specific workaround is established by the source data available for this article. Ask the vendor for supported options. As an operational precaution, restrict access to the affected interface or isolate the component where service dependencies permit; this is not evidence that the underlying flaw is fixed.
Give any temporary control an owner and expiry, verify it covers every affected instance, and retain a rollback path. Remove it only after the permanent remediation is verified.
Detection and post-fix validation
Confirm the installed and running version of Cisco Identity Services Engine against the current vendor advisory.
Check whether the vulnerable interface is reachable from untrusted networks or lower-privileged identities.
Look for new accounts, privilege changes, crashes, child processes, or unusual outbound traffic associated with the component.
Run a post-remediation service and security-control health check and retain evidence with the change record.
A clean scan or a version match alone does not rule out earlier compromise. If telemetry suggests exploitation, preserve evidence and follow the incident-response process alongside patching.
Timeline and exploitation status
— Source entry published.
— Added to CISA KEV.
— CVE record published.
— Source record updated.
Record publication and KEV addition dates describe those source events; they do not establish when exploitation first began.
The linked official record reports exploitation in the wild. This does not establish that any particular deployment has been compromised.
Public proof-of-concept availability is not independently established here. Recheck the vendor and government records as evidence changes.