Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2026-1603 is a high-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel (CWE-288) vulnerability in Ivanti Endpoint Manager. Its CVSS base score is 8.6 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 0.4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-14 (Permitted Actions Without Identification or Authentication) and AC-25 (Reference Monitor) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-1603 is an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting Ivanti Endpoint Manager versions prior to 2024 SU5. It enables a remote unauthenticated attacker to leak specific stored credential data, stemming from issues classified under CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel) and CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function). The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating high severity due to network accessibility, low attack complexity, no required privileges, and significant confidentiality impact across a changed scope.
A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability over the network without user interaction by targeting the affected Endpoint Manager instance. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to access and leak specific stored credential data, potentially enabling further compromise such as lateral movement or privilege escalation within the environment, though it does not directly provide integrity or availability impacts.
Ivanti has published Security Advisory EPM-February-2026 detailing patches for Endpoint Manager 2024, recommending upgrade to version 2024 SU5 or later to mitigate the issue. The vulnerability is also listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, urging federal agencies to apply mitigations immediately due to active exploitation.
This CVE has seen real-world exploitation, as evidenced by its inclusion in the CISA KEV catalog shortly after publication on 2026-02-10.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-6842
Vulnerability Data
An authentication bypass in Ivanti Endpoint Manager before version 2024 SU5 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to leak specific stored credential data.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 09 March 2026
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 13 hardening rules · 4 OS baselines
V6.4.3V6.6.1V12.1.3V6.2.3
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires a tamperproof, always-invoked reference monitor that structurally blocks bypass via any alternate path.
Enforces authorization checks on every logical access path, eliminating unauthenticated alternate channels.
Directly mandates unique identification and authentication of users before access to functions requiring identity.
Extends the same authentication requirement to non-organizational users accessing critical functionality.
Requires authentication of services before they can invoke or expose critical functions.
Explicitly identifies and limits actions permitted without authentication, preventing critical functions from being exposed.
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.
Requiring authentication on every channel and path directly eliminates alternate-path bypasses.
Enforcing authorizations and least privilege across all access vectors prevents unauthenticated alternate paths.
Protecting networks and environments from unauthorized logical access blocks bypass via undocumented channels.
Managing identities and credentials is a prerequisite for authentication but does not itself enforce it on critical functions.
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.
The control explicitly calls for authentication before any critical function is reached, eliminating the possibility of bypassing authentication for high-value operations.
Security testing can detect alternate-path bypasses but does not prevent them in production.
Access control policy directly addresses alternate authentication paths by requiring all channels to enforce authentication.
Authentication information management ensures credentials and mechanisms are consistently applied across all access paths.
Access rights provisioning and review prevent bypass via unmonitored or alternate channels.
Mandating authentication requirements for critical functions at the requirements-gathering stage ensures that essential operations are not left unprotected by missing login or verification mechanisms.
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-248598 There must be no ".shosts" files on the OL 8 operating system. prevents CWE-288
- V-248827 OL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-288, CWE-306
- V-248585 OL 8 must require reauthentication when using the "sudo" command. prevents CWE-306
Oracle Linux 9 (2 rules)
- V-271757 OL 9 file systems must not contain shosts.equiv files. prevents CWE-288
- V-271758 OL 9 file systems must not contain .shosts files. prevents CWE-288
RHEL 7 (4 rules)
- V-204440 Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating systems version 7.2 or newer using Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) must require authentication upon booting into single-user and maintenance modes. prevents CWE-288
- V-204442 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-288, CWE-306
- V-204424 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not allow accounts configured with blank or null passwords. prevents CWE-288
RHEL 8 (2 rules)
- V-230492 RHEL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-306
- V-237643 RHEL 8 must require re-authentication when using the "sudo" command. prevents CWE-306