# CVE-2021-34724: Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

> Authenticated local attackers can overwrite installer files to execute arbitrary code as root on Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN devices.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **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:** 23 Sep 2021
- **Updated:** 7 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3jmx-8q3h-p8gc

## What is CVE-2021-34724?

CVE-2021-34724 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software, published on 23 Sep 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 Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software CLI could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges and execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as the root user. An attacker must be authenticated on an affected device as a PRIV15 user. This vulnerability is due to insufficient file system protection and the presence of a sensitive file in the bootflash directory on an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by overwriting an installer file stored in the bootflash directory with arbitrary commands that can be executed with root-level privileges. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read and write changes to the configuration database on the affected device.

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-34724?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Ios Xe Sd-Wan.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-34724?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-34724 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-34724 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-34724 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software

- [CVE-2021-34727](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34727/): Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Buffer Overflow Vulnerability (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-3375](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3375/): Cisco SD-WAN Solution Software Buffer Overflow Vulnerability (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-1305](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-1305/): Cisco SD-WAN vManage Authorization Bypass Vulnerabilities (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-20035](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20035/): Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Command Injection Vulnerability (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-3216](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3216/): Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Authentication Bypass Vulnerability (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-34724 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-34724 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software, published on 23 Sep 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-2021-34724 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 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-2021-34724/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34724/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-34724
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34724
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34724

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34724/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.