Identity-based access controls paired with a zero-trust strategy is the best way to prevent lateral network breaches. Managing varying levels of access and multiple endpoints strains smaller IT teams and increases the risk of a security breach.

Lateral movement can help hackers evade detection within a network for weeks or even months before data theft occurs. Threat actors use phishing attacks or malware infection to gain initial access, then impersonate a legitimate user. While inside, they can escalate their privileges and even lock you out of your systems.

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a Network Access Control (NAC) solution that allows organizations to develop a more secure, zero-trust security posture based on dynamic policy enforcement, granular segmentation and mobile device management (MDM) integration options. Together, these features enable faster threat detection, consistent policy enforcement across the network and greater administrative visibility.

Although it’s a powerful security tool, Cisco ISE can still be exploited. Consistent monitoring and patching are necessary to correct security vulnerabilities. Integrating it into your third-party APIs can make management easier. A managed service provider, such as Anders, can serve as a lifecycle management partner: implementing Cisco ISE, designing policies, monitoring and patch maintenance.

What is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)?

Cisco ISE is a network access control (NAC) solution that supports zero trust security strategies. IT administrators can use the platform to build, manage and integrate network access security to company security applications, such as Microsoft Intune or other third-party, non-Cisco platforms.

Identity and Context-Based Access – Cisco ISE uses policies your company already has in place to create contextual identities for network devices. Contextual identity allows IT administrators to enforce access policies aligned with each identity’s business role. Administrators have precise control over users and endpoints on the network, reducing the time it takes to discover unusual user activity.

Increased Network Visibility – Cisco ISE keeps a detailed history of the endpoints, devices and users that have connected to the network. Users can include different types like guest, employee and contractors. It also notes the endpoint application details and firewall status. Increased visibility and contextual guidance simplify device compliance management. Organizations with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies can integrate ISE with the MDM platform they already use, such as Microsoft Intune or other third-party platforms.

Threat Containment and Quarantine – While Cisco ISE doesn’t prevent initial attack vectors such as phishing or malware, it enables rapid detection and response once a threat appears on the network. ISE will shut off access once it detects a breach, completely removing the endpoint from the network. This process can be automated by integrating ISE with your API, creating a passive security system that runs on intelligence and analytics.

Network Segmentation and Attack Surface Reduction – Network segmentation reduces organizational risk by shrinking the attack surface—every point an unauthorized user could access. Cisco ISE embeds security directly into your network, limiting the lateral movement of malware and other threat actors. It can also help limit the scope of compliance requirements.

Flexible Policy Enforcement – Your business needs will occasionally change, requiring updates to your access control policies. ISE enables policy decisions based on granular context, reducing the time it takes to maintain and manage access control policies on network infrastructure, including switch, router and firewall rules. Administrators can create a central definition of a policy that differentiates guests from registered users and devices, enabling enforcement across the entire network and security infrastructure.

Cisco ISE Vulnerabilities

While Cisco ISE provides robust security capabilities, it isn’t immune to vulnerabilities. Throughout 2025, Cisco disclosed multiple security issues affecting ISE and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC), including vulnerabilities that could allow:

• Privilege escalation and arbitrary command execution
• Unauthorized access to underlying operating systems
• Configuration manipulation and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks
• Denial-of-service (DoS) conditions caused by crafted authentication requests

In each case, Cisco released software updates or workarounds to mitigate the risks. However, these disclosures highlight an important reality: identity infrastructure itself is a high-value target and should be protected as such.

Organizations relying on Cisco ISE must ensure:

• Timely patching and version management
• Proper role-based access controls for administrative accounts
• Continuous monitoring and validation of configuration changes
• Alignment between identity security controls and broader governance frameworks

Failure to manage these risks can negate the benefits of an identity-driven security model and expose the organization to operational, regulatory and reputational harm.

As networks become more dynamic and identity becomes the primary control plane, NAC solutions like Cisco ISE play a critical role in managing access and reducing risk. Cisco ISE delivers value only when organizations apply disciplined governance and continuous monitoring. If your organization is evaluating Cisco ISE, a managed service provider like Anders Technology can help implement and integrate it into your network infrastructure.

Learn how Anders Technology advisors work with you to support cybersecurity, compliance initiatives and network infrastructure maintenance, plus the associated cost, by requesting a meeting with an advisor below.