RCE in Cisco iOS Xe Software
CVE-2021-1441
A vulnerability in the hardware initialization routines of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco 1100 Series Industrial Integrated Services Routers and Cisco ESR6300 Embedded Series Routers could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute unsigned code at system boot time. This vulnerability is due to incorrect validations of parameters passed to a diagnostic script that is executed when the device boots up. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by tampering with an executable file stored on a device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute unsigned code at boot time and bypass the software image verification check part of the secure boot process of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need administrative level credentials (level 15) on the device.
Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.7 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.003 (21.5th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 22nd percentile — 21.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Cisco iOS Xe Software
- Cisco Esr6300
- Cisco iOS Xe — versions 3.15.1xbs, 3.15.2xbs, 16.9.1
- Cisco Ir1101
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ios-xe-i… (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-1441?
- CVE-2021-1441 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco iOS Xe Software, classified under OS Command Injection. CVSS score: 6.7/10. Published 2021-03-24.
- How severe is CVE-2021-1441?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.7 out of 10.