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 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.

Published: 2023-09-07 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-20194 is rated Low Risk (34.3/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.53%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-20194

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.06% 0.53% +0.47%
2 2025-11-21 0.15% 0.06% -0.09%
3 2025-11-18 0.15%

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-20194

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
4.9 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
1.2 3.6 [email protected]
4.9 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
1.2 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-20194

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-20194

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
cisco identity_services_engine <= 2.7 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:patch2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:patch3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:patch4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:patch5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:patch6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.0.0:patch7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.1 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.1 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.1:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.1 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.1:patch3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.1 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.1:patch4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.1 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.1:patch5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.1 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.1:patch6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.1 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.1:patch7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.2 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.2 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.2:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cisco identity_services_engine 3.2 cpe:2.3:a:cisco:identity_services_engine:3.2:patch2:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-20194

cvelogic Threat Intelligence