CVE-2021-1442 Cisco IOS XE Software Plug-and-Play Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

High 7.0 Published 24 Mar 2021 Updated 8 Nov 2024

An authenticated local attacker can escalate privileges to Administrator by exploiting insufficient protection in a diagnostic command when a specific PnP listener is enabled.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2021-1442?

CVE-2021-1442 is a high-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 a diagnostic command for the Plug-and-Play (PnP) subsystem of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to the level of an Administrator user (level 15) on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient protection of sensitive information. An attacker with low privileges could exploit this vulnerability by issuing the diagnostic CLI show pnp profile when a specific PnP listener is enabled on the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain a privileged authentication token. This token can be used to send crafted PnP messages and execute privileged commands on the targeted system.

Weakness: CWE-532

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-1442?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Cisco Ios Xe.

How do I fix CVE-2021-1442?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-1442 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2021-1442 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-1442 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Cisco Ios Xe vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-m3j8-p665-6qc9.