Vulnerability in Cisco iOS Xe Software
CVE-2021-1453
A vulnerability in the software image verification functionality of Cisco IOS XE Software for the Cisco Catalyst 9000 Family of switches could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to execute unsigned code at system boot time. The vulnerability is due to an improper check in the code function that manages the verification of the digital signatures of system image files during the initial boot process. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by loading unsigned software on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to boot a malicious software image or execute unsigned code and bypass the image verification check part of the secure boot process of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have unauthenticated physical access to the device or obtain privileged access to the root shell on the device.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.8 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (11.7th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 12th percentile — 11.7% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Cisco iOS Xe Software
- Cisco iOS Xe — versions 3.15.1xbs, 3.15.2xbs, 16.6.1
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ios-xe-c… (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-1453?
- CVE-2021-1453 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco iOS Xe Software, classified under Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature. CVSS score: 6.8/10. Published 2021-03-24.
- How severe is CVE-2021-1453?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.8 out of 10.