Privilege escalation in Cisco IOS XE

1) Write-what-where Condition

EUVDB-ID: #VU51766

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 4.5 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-1390

CWE-ID: CWE-123 - Write-what-where Condition

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to the affected software permits modification of the run-time memory of an affected device under specific circumstances. A local administrator can trigger a logic error in the code that was designed to restrict run-time memory modifications and execute arbitrary code on the underlying Linux operating system.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Cisco IOS XE: 17.1.1

Cisco Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series: All versions

Cisco Catalyst IE3300 Rugged Series: All versions

Cisco Catalyst IE3400 Rugged Series: All versions

Cisco Catalyst IE3400 Heavy Duty Series: All versions

Cisco Embedded Services 3300 Series Switches: All versions

External links

http://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-XE-OFP-6Nezgn7b

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.