CVE-2021-1218
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability in the web management interface of Cisco Smart Software Manager satellite could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to redirect a user to an undesired web page. The vulnerability is due to improper input validation of the URL parameters in an HTTP request that is sent to an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request that could cause the web application to redirect the request to a specified malicious URL. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to redirect a user to a malicious website.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThis is an open redirect vulnerability in Cisco Smart Software Manager satellite's web management interface. The application improperly validates URL parameters in HTTP requests, allowing an authenticated attacker to craft malicious requests that redirect users to attacker-controlled websites. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation on redirect URLs.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 5.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Cisco Smart Software Manager On Prem is deployedIdentify whether the Cisco Smart Software Manager On Prem application is installed in your environment. Check for its typical installation directories, services, or consult your software inventory.Affected if The product is not present in your environment, you are not affected by this vulnerability.
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Check installed versionLocate and retrieve the installed version of Cisco Smart Software Manager On Prem. Consult the product documentation for the appropriate method to query the version, typically via the web interface, command-line interface, or version file.Affected if The installed version is 5.0 or lower, making it fall within the affected range.
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Verify web management interface is enabledDetermine whether the web management interface for Cisco Smart Software Manager On Prem is enabled and accessible. Check service configurations or network exposure settings.Affected if The web management interface is disabled or not accessible, the vulnerability cannot be exploited even if the version is affected.
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Review access controlsAssess whether authentication is required to access the web management interface and whether untrusted users could potentially reach it.Affected if Unauthenticated or untrusted users can access the web management interface, increasing the exploitability of this vulnerability.
Your environment is affected if Cisco Smart Software Manager On Prem version 5.0 or lower is installed and its web management interface is accessible to authenticated attackers who could craft malicious redirect URLs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataImplement strict URL validation using an allowlist approach for all redirect parameters, ensuring only trusted domains are permitted. Additionally, implement relative URL path validation to prevent absolute URL redirects to external domains.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1218 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-1218 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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