---
id: CVE-2023-20193
title: >-
  A vulnerability in the Embedded Service Router (ESR) of Cisco ISE could allow
  an authenticated, local attacker to read, write, or delete arbitrary files on
  the underlying operating system and escalate their privileges to root
summary: >-
  A vulnerability in the Embedded Service Router (ESR) of Cisco ISE could allow
  an authenticated, local attacker to read, write, or delete arbitrary files on
  the underlying operating system and escalate their privileges to root. To
  exploit…
severity: medium
cvss: 6
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N'
cwe:
  - CWE-78
vendor: cisco
product: identity_services_engine
affected:
  - identity_services_engine <= 2.7
  - 'identity_services_engine >= 3.0.0, <= 3.3.0'
published: '2023-09-07'
updated: '2026-09-21'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-21T13:10:37.343'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20193'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-priv-esc-KJLp2Aw
    label: psirt@cisco.com
  - url: >-
      https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ise-priv-esc-KJLp2Aw
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00197
epssPercentile: 0.0969
ingestedAt: '2026-09-21T13:37:22.796Z'
---

## Overview

A vulnerability in the Embedded Service Router (ESR) of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, local attacker to read, write, or delete arbitrary files on the underlying operating system and escalate their privileges to root. 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 ESR console. 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 to root and read, write, or delete arbitrary files from the underlying operating system of the affected device. Note: The ESR is not enabled by default and must be licensed. To verify the status of the ESR in the Admin GUI, choose Administration > Settings > Protocols > IPSec.

## Affected

- `identity_services_engine <= 2.7`
- `identity_services_engine >= 3.0.0, <= 3.3.0`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.