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Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2021-1232

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying filesystem of an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient access control for sensitive information that is written to an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing sensitive information that they are not authorized to access on an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain access to devices and other network management systems that they should not have access to.Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

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 confidence

This is an arbitrary file read vulnerability in Cisco SD-WAN vManage's web-based management interface. An authenticated remote attacker can read arbitrary files on the underlying filesystem due to insufficient access control, potentially exposing sensitive information such as credentials, configuration files, or keys that could grant broader network access.

MitigationApply the Cisco software updates that address this vulnerability; no workarounds are available.

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
Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication
Affected:= 17.2.4= 17.2.5= 17.2.6= 17.2.7= 17.2.8= 17.2.9= 17.2.10= 18.2.0= 18.3.0= 18.3.1= 18.3.1.1= 18.3.3

CVSS 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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine Cisco vManage version
    Access the vManage admin interface or use the 'show version' CLI command on the vManage device to identify the installed software version.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the following: 17.2.4, 17.2.5, 17.2.6, 17.2.7, 17.2.8, 17.2.9, 17.2.10, 18.2.0, 18.3.0, 18.3.1, 18.3.1.1, or 18.3.3.
  2. Confirm web-based management interface is accessible
    Verify that the vManage web UI (typically HTTPS on port 443) is exposed and reachable, either internally or externally.
    Affected if The web-based management interface is enabled and network-accessible.
  3. Verify authentication is enabled
    Confirm that user authentication is configured and active on the vManage system, as this vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker.
    Affected if User accounts exist and authentication is permitted for the web interface.
  4. Review access logs for suspicious file read requests
    Examine vManage system logs or web server access logs for unusual patterns such as requests to file paths outside normal web directories (e.g., ../../etc/passwd or similar path traversal attempts).

You are affected if your Cisco SD-WAN vManage version matches one of the listed versions AND the web-based management interface is accessible with valid authentication credentials.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Cisco software updates that address this vulnerability; no workarounds are available.

Fix this in Catalyst Sd Wan Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-1232 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data