Cloud

Security Advisory

Critical Credential Reuse Vulnerability in Cisco ISE Cloud Deployments 

Summary 

OEM Cisco 
Severity Critical 
CVSS Score 9.9 
CVEs CVE-2025-20286 
Actively Exploited No 
Exploited in Wild No 
Advisory Version 1.0 

Overview 

Cisco has disclosed a critical vulnerability in Identity Services Engine (ISE) cloud deployments that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain administrative access across multiple instances due to improperly generated static credentials.

Tracked as CVE-2025-20286, with a CVSS score of 9.9, this flaw affects ISE deployments on AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Cisco has released hotfixes and announced permanent fixes for impacted versions. 

Vulnerability Name CVE ID Product Affected Severity 
​Cisco ISE Shared Credential Vulnerability  CVE-2025-20286 Cisco ISE   Critical 

Technical Summary 

The vulnerability stems from improper generation of credentials during the setup of Cisco ISE on cloud platforms. Each deployment of the same ISE version on a given platform (eg – AWS 3.1) shares identical static credentials. This oversight enables an attacker to extract credentials from one deployment and reuse them to access others, if network access is available. 

This issue is only to cloud-hosted Primary Administration nodes. Traditional on-premises deployments or hybrid setups with local admin nodes are not affected. 

CVE ID System Affected  Vulnerability Details Impact 
  CVE-2025-20286  Cisco ISE 3.1 – 3.4 Static credentials reused across same-version cloud deployments. Credentials can be extracted from one instance and reused across others on the same cloud platform   Access sensitive data 

Remediation: 

Apply Hotfix Immediately: Install the universal hotfix ise-apply-CSCwn63400_3.1.x_patchall-SPA.tar.gz on ISE versions 3.1 to 3.4. 

Cisco ISE Release Hot Fix First Fixed Release 
3.0 and earlier Not applicable. Not affected. 
3.1 ise-apply-CSCwn63400_3.1.x_patchall-SPA.tar.gz Migrate to a fixed release. 
This hot fix applies to Releases 3.1 through 3.4. 
3.2 ise-apply-CSCwn63400_3.1.x_patchall-SPA.tar.gz Migrate to a fixed release. 
This hot fix applies to Releases 3.1 through 3.4. 
3.3 ise-apply-CSCwn63400_3.1.x_patchall-SPA.tar.gz 3.3P8 (November 2025) 
This hot fix applies to Releases 3.1 through 3.4. 
3.4 ise-apply-CSCwn63400_3.1.x_patchall-SPA.tar.gz 3.4P3 (October 2025) 
This hot fix applies to Releases 3.1 through 3.4. 
3.5 Not applicable. Planned release (Aug 2025) 

Conclusion: 
CVE-2025-20286 presents a severe security risk to organizations using Cisco ISE on public cloud platforms. By exploiting shared static credentials, attackers can potentially move laterally between cloud deployments.

Although no active exploitation has been reported, a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit is available, heightening the urgency for remediation. 

Organizations should apply hotfixes immediately, upgrade to secured versions, and tighten cloud network access policies to mitigate the risk. On-premises and hybrid deployments remain unaffected, offering a safer architectural alternative. 

References: 

Security Advisory

Reflected XSS Vulnerability in Splunk Enterprise & Cloud Platform 

Summary 

Splunk has disclosed a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting multiple versions of its Enterprise and Cloud Platform products that could allow low-privileged attackers to execute malicious JavaScript code in users’ browsers.

OEM Cisco 
Severity MEDIUM 
CVSS Score 4.3 
CVEs CVE-2025-20297 
CWEs CWE-79 
Exploited in Wild No 
Advisory Version 1.0 

Overview 

A security vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-20297 has been found in older versions of Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform.

This issue allows low privileged users to execute unauthorized JavaScript code in a victim’s browser using a specific Splunk feature that generates Pdf from dashboards.

Although the vulnerability is rated as Medium (CVSS 4.3) but it could be a significant risk in environments where Splunk Web is widely accessed by users. 

The vulnerability specifically targets instances with Splunk Web enabled, which represents the majority of production deployments given the component’s central role in dashboard management and user interface functionality.

Vulnerability Name CVE ID Product Affected Severity Fixed Version 
​Reflected Cross Site Scripting  CVE-2025-20297 Splunk Enterprise & Cloud  Medium  Check the remediation section. 

Technical Summary 

The vulnerability lies in the pdfgen/render REST endpoint used to create dashboard PDFs. In vulnerable versions, a low \privileged user (not an admin or power user) can inject a malicious script via this endpoint.

If a legitimate user interacts with the resulting PDF or link, their browser may execute the injected script without their consent, this is working as reflected XSS. 

CVE ID System Affected Vulnerability Details Impact 
CVE-2025-20297  Splunk Enterprise & Cloud multiple versions Low-privileged users can exploit the pdfgen/render endpoint to inject unauthorized JavaScript code into a victim’s browser. Code Execution/Reflected xss. 

Remediation: 

Splunk has released updates, that addressed the vulnerability:  

  • Splunk Enterprise: Upgrade to version 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, 9.1.9 or latest. 
  • Splunk Cloud Platform: Upgrade to version 9.3.2411.102, 9.3.2408.111, 9.2.2406.118 or latest. 

If you cannot upgrade immediately, you can disable Splunk Web to prevent exploitation. For this you can review the web.conf configuration file and follow the Splunk guidance on disabling unnecessary components. 

Disabling Splunk Web may impact users who rely on the web interface so consider access controls or network-based restrictions as temporary mitigations. 

Conclusion: 
While CVE-2025-20297 is rated as a medium severity vulnerability, it should not be ignored in the environments where many users interact with Splunk dashboards. Attackers with limited permissions could potentially target higher privileged users by modifying malicious links or payloads. 

Organizations should prioritize upgrading Splunk to the fixed versions or implementing the workarounds immediately.

Even though this vulnerability requires some user interaction, the risks include unauthorized access to sensitive data through potential session hijacking. 

While Splunk has not provided specific detection methods for this vulnerability, organizations should monitor access patterns to the pdfgen/render endpoint and review user privilege assignments to minimize potential exposure

This vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations relying on Splunk’s data analytics platform for security monitoring and business intelligence operations.

References: 

Security Advisory

High-Severity Linux Kernel Flaw Exposes Systems to Root-Level Attacks

Security advisory: Linux Kernel Flaw raised from vulnerability related to improper memory handling when the splice() function is called. Specifically, the kTLS code fails to correctly update the internal accounting of the plaintext scatter-gather buffer, leading to an out-of-bounds memory write flaw. 

OEMLinux
SeverityHigh
CVSS Score7.8
CVEsCVE-2025-21756
POC AvailableYes
Actively ExploitedNo
Exploited in WildNo
Advisory Version1.0

Overview

A high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2025-21756) has been discovered in the Linux kernel’s Virtual Socket (vsock) implementation, allowing local privilege escalation to root via a use-after-free (UAF) condition caused by incorrect reference counting during socket binding operations.

Vulnerability NameCVE IDProduct AffectedSeverityCVSS Score
​ Use-After-Free vulnerability  CVE-2025-21756Linux kernel  High  7.8

Technical Summary

The kTLS subsystem in the Linux Kernel enables direct TLS encryption and authentication functions within the kernel, supporting secure communication for protocols like HTTPS, email, and other internet-connected applications.

CVE IDSystem AffectedVulnerability DetailsImpact
    CVE-2025-21756    Linux kernel (pre-6.6.79, 6.12.16, 6.13.4, and 6.14-rc1)Improper handling of reference counts in vsock_remove_sock() leads to premature freeing of vsock objects. Attackers can exploit the Use-After- Free (UAF) by reclaiming free memory using crafted pipe buffers and leveraging unprotected tools like vsock_diag_dump() to leak kernel pointers.      Local privilege escalation to root and potential full system compromise.

CVE-2025-21756 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel’s vsock subsystem. It arises due to incorrect reference counter management during transport reassignment of sockets, leading to memory corruption and potential privilege escalation.

Affected systems are particularly exposed in virtualized environments where vsock is actively used.

Remediation:

  • Update Linux Kernel: Users should update their systems immediately with the latest kernel versions
  • Restrict Local Access: Until patches are applied, limit vsock use in shared environments and restrict local access where feasible.
  • Monitor for Exploitation Attempts: Watch for anomalies related to the vsock subsystem, including unexpected kernel panics or vsock socket activity.
  • Review Security Module Configurations: While AppArmor and similar LSMs offer partial protection, ensure they are enabled and correctly configured.

Conclusion:
CVE-2025-21756 poses a significant threat to Linux systems, particularly in cloud and virtualized environments. Its discovery and detailed analysis by Michael Hoefler revealed not only a critical vulnerability but also advanced exploitation techniques capable of bypassing protections like AppArmor and KASLR.

Given the existence of public proof-of-concept code and reliable attack paths, organizations must prioritize patching and mitigation to avoid root-level compromise.

References:



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