CVE-2021-1442 HIGH

CVE-2021-1442: Cisco IOS XE Software Plug-and-Play Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Vendor Cisco
Product Cisco IOS XE Software
Weakness CWE-532 · Sensitive info in logs
Published March 24, 2021
Last update November 8, 2024

CVSS base score

7.0/10
Attack vector Local
Attack complexity High
Privileges required Low
User interaction None
Confidentiality High
Integrity High

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What the vulnerability does

01Description

A vulnerability in a diagnostic command for the Plug-and-Play (PnP) subsystem of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to the level of an Administrator user (level 15) on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient protection of sensitive information. An attacker with low privileges could exploit this vulnerability by issuing the diagnostic CLI show pnp profile when a specific PnP listener is enabled on the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain a privileged authentication token. This token can be used to send crafted PnP messages and execute privileged commands on the targeted system.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

March 24, 2021 CVE published
November 8, 2024 Record updated