CVE-2026-76449 Cisco CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC devices, especially those with administrative access, should assess exposure and apply patches or mitigations as recommended by Cisco.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-76449 is a vulnerability in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) that could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct an SQL or HQL injection attack on an affected device. Defenders should prioritize verifying exposure and applying patches or mitigations.

• Potential unauthorized data access or modification
• Possible disruption of Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC services
• Need for verification of device exposure and patch application
• Potential for lateral movement or escalation of privileges

Technical summary

The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input to the affected APIs before it is used to build database queries. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted request to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary SQL or HQL queries against the underlying database. This could allow the attacker to view or modify data that they are not authorized to access. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid administrative credentials. The Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC devices are affected by this vulnerability, which could lead to potential unauthorized data access or modification, and possible disruption of services.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying exposure of Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC devices, especially those with administrative access, and apply patches or mitigations as recommended by Cisco.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify exposure of Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC devices, especially those with administrative access
• Apply patches or mitigations as recommended by Cisco
• Monitor for suspicious database queries
• Restrict administrative access to Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC devices
• 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, its impact, and affected versions. Cisco's official advisory provides additional details on the vulnerability and recommended actions.

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.