CVE-2021-1281 Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
An authenticated local attacker can escalate privileges to root on Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN devices by exploiting concurrent CLI session handling.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2021-1281?
CVE-2021-1281 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe, published on 24 Mar 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A vulnerability in CLI management in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access the underlying operating system as the root user. This vulnerability is due to the way the software handles concurrent CLI sessions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the device as an administrative user and executing a sequence of commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain access to the underlying operating system as the root user.
Weakness: CWE-399
Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-1281?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Cisco Ios Xe.
How do I fix CVE-2021-1281?
No fix has been published for CVE-2021-1281 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2021-1281 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-1281 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Ios Xe
- CVE-2023-20198 Cisco IOS XE Web UI Privilege Escalation
- CVE-2018-0151 Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software Quality of Service Remote Code Execution
- CVE-2023-20273 Cisco IOS XE Web UI Command Injection
- CVE-2025-20188 Hardcoded credentials in Cisco IOS XE Software
- CVE-2021-34770 Cisco IOS XE Software for Catalyst 9000 Family Wireless Controllers CAPWAP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Sources
Also known as GHSA-hmf4-8r9v-j7jg.