CVE-2026-76431 Cisco CVE debrief

Who should care

Administrators of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC systems, security teams, and IT personnel responsible for ensuring the security and integrity of their organization's systems and data.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-76431 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC that allows authenticated remote attackers to delete arbitrary files and directories. Administrators should verify file system integrity, monitor for unauthorized file deletions, restrict administrative access, and implement additional logging and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.

• Verify file system integrity to prevent data loss
• Monitor for unauthorized file deletions to detect potential exploitation
• Restrict administrative access to prevent exploitation
• Implement additional logging and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts

Technical summary

The vulnerability is due to improper validation of directory traversal character sequences in a user-supplied file path before the request is validated. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to the web-based management interface of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to delete arbitrary files and directories on the underlying operating system of the affected device.

Defensive priority

Administrators of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC systems should verify the integrity of their file systems and monitor for unauthorized file deletions.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify the integrity of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC file systems
• Monitor for unauthorized file deletions
• Restrict administrative access to the web-based management interface
• Implement additional logging and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD detail page provide information on the vulnerability, including its description, CVSS score, and affected versions. The vulnerability is due to improper validation of directory traversal character sequences in a user-supplied file path before the request is validated. Evidence is limited to public CVE and NVD sources. Defenders should verify affected system configurations, monitor for suspicious file deletion activity, and review system logs for potential exploitation attempts. Additional verification may be be

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.