CVE-2021-1447: cisco cisco content security management appliance (sma) Improper Privilege Management

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2021-1447 is a high (CVSS 7.2) Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in cisco cisco content security management appliance (sma). EPSS estimates a 0.27% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 18.5% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 06-05-2021
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 08-11-2024
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

A vulnerability in the user account management system of Cisco AsyncOS for Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate their privileges to root. This vulnerability is due to a procedural flaw in the password generation algorithm. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by enabling specific Administrator-only features and connecting to the appliance through the CLI with elevated privileges. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root and access the underlying operating system. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid Administrator credentials.

• CWE-269Improper Privilege ManagementThe product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.