Sd Wan VmanageApplication · Cisco
CVE-2021-1235
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 CLI of Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to read sensitive database files on an affected system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient user authorization. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing the vshell of an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read database files from the filesystem of the underlying operating system.
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 · moderate confidenceThis is a local authenticated vulnerability in Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software's CLI. An attacker with valid local credentials who can access the vshell environment can read sensitive database files from the underlying filesystem due to insufficient authorization checks.
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
Sd Wan VmanageApplication
< 19.2.3CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the installed vManage versionRun 'show version' in the vManage CLI or check the vManage administration UI for the software version informationAffected if The displayed version is lower than 19.2.3 (for example, 19.2.2, 19.2.1, 18.x, or earlier)
-
Confirm vshell access is availableAttempt to access the vshell environment via the vManage CLI using the 'request vshell' command, or check if the vshell feature is enabled in the system configurationAffected if The vshell environment can be accessed or is currently enabled on the system
-
Review vshell access logsExamine vManage system logs and authentication logs for entries indicating vshell access attempts or usage, typically found in /var/log/ or through the vManage logging interfaceAffected if There are log entries showing vshell access by users who should not have that privilege, or unauthorized vshell sessions
-
Check for sensitive database file accessInspect the filesystem for database files in vManage (typically under /opt/vmanage/ or similar paths) and verify who has read permissions on these filesAffected if Database files containing sensitive information (such as configuration databases, user databases, or certificate stores) are readable by users with vshell access
-
Audit local user accounts and their privilegesReview the local user accounts configured in vManage and their assigned privilege levels using 'show users' or through the administration UIAffected if There are local users with privileges that grant vshell access beyond what their role should require
You are likely affected if your vManage version is below 19.2.3 AND the vshell environment is accessible to users with local credentials, as the vulnerability allows privileged users to bypass authorization and read sensitive database files.
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 data19.2.3
Apply Cisco's available patches for this vulnerability. Restrict vshell access to only necessary personnel and implement least-privilege access controls. Monitor for unauthorized access attempts to the vshell environment.
Fix this in Sd Wan Vmanage
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1235 — 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-2021-1235 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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