Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-20466

Access Control in Cisco Identity Services Engine 2.7.0 – 3.1

Published
21 August 2024
Modified
31 March 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0048 39th percentile
Risk Priority 50 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-20466 is a medium-severity Incorrect Privilege Assignment (CWE-266) vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 39th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-24 (Access Control Decisions) and AC-25 (Reference Monitor) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to obtain sensitive information from an affected device. This vulnerability is due to improper enforcement of administrative privilege levels for high-value…

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sensitive data. An attacker with read-only Administrator privileges for the web-based management interface on an affected device could exploit this vulnerability by browsing to a page that contains sensitive data. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to collect sensitive information regarding the configuration of the system.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1548 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may circumvent mechanisms designed to control privilege elevation to gain higher-level permissions.
T1548.002 Bypass User Account Control Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may bypass UAC mechanisms to elevate process privileges on system.
T1548.003 Sudo and Sudo Caching Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may perform sudo caching and/or use the sudoers file to elevate privileges.
T1078 Valid Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-20537Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2025-20264Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2025-20125Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2026-20193Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2025-20343Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2023-20194Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2023-20193Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2023-20171Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2023-20172Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine
CVE-2025-20152Same product: Cisco Identity Services Engine

Affected Assets

cisco
identity services engine
3.1.0, 3.2.0, 3.3.0 · 2.7.0 — 3.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 13 hardening rules · 7 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

AC-3 directly requires correct enforcement of authorization decisions on every access request, structurally preventing incorrect checks.

AC-24 ensures access-control decisions are made and applied consistently, reducing the chance of an incorrect authorization result.

A reference monitor that is always invoked and tamper-proof forces every authorization decision through a verified, correct path.

Least privilege directly requires that only the minimal necessary privileges are assigned to each actor.

Account management defines and authorizes the exact privileges granted to each account or role.

Separation of duties constrains which privilege combinations may be assigned to any actor.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-05 full match
prevents

Directly enforces least-privilege policy definition, management, and review that prevents incorrect privilege assignments.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

The access-rights control governs the entire lifecycle of privilege assignment, directly eliminating incorrect assignments.

prevents

Privileged-access-rights control explicitly requires least-privilege assignment and ongoing validation, directly mitigating CWE-266.

prevents

Access control policy directly prevents incorrect privilege assignment by defining who may receive which rights.

mitigates

Segregation of duties reduces blast radius of any single incorrect privilege but does not prevent the assignment itself.

mitigates

Restricting privileged utility programs limits exposure from over-privileged accounts but does not address how privileges are assigned.

prevents

Information-access-restriction mechanisms enforce the correct privilege boundaries once assignment rules are defined.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (3 rules)
  • V-248581 OL 8 must require users to provide a password for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
  • V-248551 A sticky bit must be set on all OL 8 public directories to prevent unauthorized and unintended information transferred via shared system resources. prevents CWE-266
  • V-252656 The OL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
  • V-271779 OL 9 must be configured so that a sticky bit must be set on all public directories. prevents CWE-266
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
  • V-204430 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that users must re-authenticate for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 8 (2 rules)
  • V-230243 A sticky bit must be set on all RHEL 8 public directories to prevent unauthorized and unintended information transferred via shared system resources. prevents CWE-266
  • V-251712 The RHEL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 9 (1 rule)
  • V-257929 A sticky bit must be set on all RHEL 9 public directories. prevents CWE-266
Ubuntu 22.04 (2 rules)
  • V-260513 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS must set a sticky bit on all public directories to prevent unauthorized and unintended information transferred via shared system resources. prevents CWE-266
  • V-260559 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS must ensure only users who need access to security functions are part of sudo group. prevents CWE-266
Ubuntu 24.04 (2 rules)
  • V-270748 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must ensure only users who need access to security functions are part of sudo group. prevents CWE-266
  • V-270750 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must set a sticky bit on all public directories to prevent unauthorized and unintended information transferred via shared system resources. prevents CWE-266

References