CVE-2021-1449 Cisco Access Point Software Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

Medium 6.7 Published Updated

An authenticated local attacker with devshell access can bypass secure boot checks to execute unsigned code at boot time on Cisco Access Points.

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-2021-1449?

CVE-2021-1449 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Wireless Lan Controller Software, 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 the boot logic of Cisco Access Points Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute unsigned code at boot time. The vulnerability is due to an improper check that is performed by the area of code that manages system startup processes. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying a specific file that is stored on the system, which would allow the attacker to bypass existing protections. 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. Note: To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have access to the development shell (devshell) on the device.

Weakness: CWE-284

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-1449?

It affects 3 products.

Products include Cisco Aironet Access Point Software, Cisco Catalyst 9800 Firmware, Cisco Wireless Lan Controller Software.

How do I fix CVE-2021-1449?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-1449 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2021-1449 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-1449 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Cisco Wireless Lan Controller Software vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-98v5-24xm-cppp.

Is CVE-2021-1449 in your software?

Upload an SBOM and sbomify checks it against every vulnerability here, every day.

Check your SBOMs for free