# CVE-2021-1579: Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller App Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> An authenticated attacker with read-only admin credentials can escalate to write privileges via an API request due to insufficient RBAC in Cisco APIC.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Aug 2021
- **Updated:** 7 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-246h-5xw7-rvcg

## What is CVE-2021-1579?

CVE-2021-1579 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC), published on 25 Aug 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in an API endpoint of Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) and Cisco Cloud Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (Cloud APIC) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker with Administrator read-only credentials to elevate privileges on an affected system. This vulnerability is due to an insufficient role-based access control (RBAC). An attacker with Administrator read-only credentials could exploit this vulnerability by sending a specific API request using an app with admin write credentials. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator with write privileges on the affected device.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), CWE-250 (Execution with Unnecessary Privileges)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-1579?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller, Cisco Cloud Application Policy Infrastructure Controller.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-1579?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-1579 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-1579 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-1579 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC)

- [CVE-2021-1393](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1393/): Cisco Application Services Engine Unauthorized Access Vulnerabilities (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-1396](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1396/): Cisco Application Services Engine Unauthorized Access Vulnerabilities (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-1577](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1577/): Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Arbitrary File Read and Write Vulnerability (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2023-20011](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20011/): Cross-site request forgery in Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-1578](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1578/): Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-1579 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-1579 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC), published on 25 Aug 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-1579 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC). 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-2021-1579/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1579/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-1579
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-1579
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-1579

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1579/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.