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

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

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Mar 2021
- **Updated:** 8 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-98v5-24xm-cppp

## 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 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-1449?

It affects 3 products.


Products: 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.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Wireless Lan Controller Software

- [CVE-2017-3831](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-3831/): Auth bypass in Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Access Point Series (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-20622](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20622/): Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller with Catalyst Access Points IP Flood Denial of Service Vulnerability (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2018-0234](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0234/): Denial of service in Cisco Aironet 1810, 1830, and 1850 Series Access Points (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2016-1419](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-1419/): Denial of service in n/a (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2016-6362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6362/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-1449 and fix it if it is affected.

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

Affected product: Cisco Wireless Lan Controller Software. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1449/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1449/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-1449
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-1449
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-1449

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1449/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.