dbcve.org
AsyncosOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2021-1425

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.8.0 or later.
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 AsyncOS Software for Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to access sensitive information on an affected device. The vulnerability exists because confidential information is being included in HTTP requests that are exchanged between the user and the device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by looking at the raw HTTP requests that are sent to the interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain some of the passwords that are configured throughout the interface.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

The vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to obtain passwords configured in the SMA interface by examining raw HTTP requests. Confidential information, including passwords, is being transmitted in plaintext within HTTP requests between the user and the web-based management interface.

MitigationApply the Cisco software update that addresses this vulnerability. There are no workarounds 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
AsyncosOperating system
Affected:< 13.8.0

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. Identify installed AsyncOS version
    Access the SMA command-line interface and run the command 'version' or 'show version' to display the installed AsyncOS version number.
    Affected if The displayed version number is lower than 13.8.0 (for example, 13.6.1, 13.7.0, etc.)
  2. Confirm web-based management interface is enabled
    Log into the SMA CLI and run 'interfaceconfig' or check the web UI is accessible via browser at the configured management IP address.
    Affected if The web-based management interface is accessible and responding to HTTP/HTTPS requests
  3. Verify if HTTP (non-encrypted) is enabled for management
    In the web UI, go to Network > IP Interfaces or run 'interfaceconfig' in CLI to check which protocols (HTTP/HTTPS) are enabled for the management interface.
    Affected if HTTP (port 80) is enabled alongside or instead of HTTPS for the web management interface; passwords transmitted over HTTP are visible in plaintext
  4. Check authentication configuration
    Review user accounts configured on the SMA via the web UI (System Administration > Users) or CLI command 'userconfig' to confirm authenticated users exist.
    Affected if At least one user account with web UI access is configured, allowing an authenticated attacker to trigger the plaintext password exposure

Your environment is affected if the installed AsyncOS version is below 13.8.0 AND the web-based management interface is accessible via HTTP, allowing authenticated users to intercept plaintext passwords in HTTP traffic.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 13.8.0 or later
Fixed in 13.8.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the Cisco software update that addresses this vulnerability. There are no workarounds available.

Recommended fix High confidence

AsyncOS 13.8.0 or later for Cisco Content Security Management Appliance

  1. Identify the current AsyncOS version running on the Cisco Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) via the web-based management interface or CLI
  2. Access the Cisco Software Download center (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com) and download AsyncOS version 13.8.0 or later for the SMA
  3. Review the Cisco AsyncOS upgrade guide for specific upgrade procedures for the Content Security Management Appliance
  4. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade will require downtime
  5. Back up the current device configuration before initiating the upgrade
  6. Upload the AsyncOS 13.8.0 or later image through the web-based management interface or CLI
  7. Initiate the upgrade process and allow the system to reboot
  8. After reboot, verify the new version (13.8.0 or later) is running
Caveat Review Cisco release notes for version 13.8.0 for any configuration or behavioral changes that may affect your deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Asyncos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1425 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-1425 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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