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Catalyst Sd Wan ManagerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2021-1512

MEDIUM · 6.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.4.6 / 19.2.3 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 CLI of Cisco SD-WAN Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files in the underlying file system of an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of the user-supplied input parameters of a specific CLI command. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by issuing that command with specific parameters. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to overwrite the content in any arbitrary files that reside on the underlying host file 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 · high confidence

A local authenticated attacker can exploit insufficient input validation in a specific Cisco SD-WAN CLI command to overwrite arbitrary files on the underlying host file system, potentially leading to privilege escalation or configuration tampering.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Cisco when available, or upgrade to a fixed version of Cisco SD-WAN Software. Restrict CLI access to trusted, authorized personnel only.

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:>= 19.2, < 19.2.3>= 20.3, < 20.3.1>= 20.4, < 20.4.1>= 20.5, < 20.5.1
Sd Wan Vbond OrchestratorApplication
Affected:all versions
Sd Wan VmanageApplication
Affected:< 18.4.6>= 20.1, < 20.1.2
Vsmart Controller FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Vedge 100 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Vedge 1000 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Vedge 100b FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Vedge 100m FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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 the SD-WAN product type
    Determine which Cisco SD-WAN component is running in your environment: Cisco SD-WAN Manager (vManage), Vbond Orchestrator, Vsmart Controller, or Vedge device. This can be done by checking the system prompt or using 'show version' command output.
    Affected if The product is any of: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, Cisco SD-WAN Vbond Orchestrator, Cisco SD-WAN Vmanage, Cisco Vsmart Controller, Cisco Vedge 100, Vedge 1000, Vedge 100b, or Vedge 100m.
  2. Check the installed software version
    Use the CLI command 'show version' or access the web UI to determine the exact software version installed on the device. Record the full version number (e.g., 20.3.0, 19.2.2).
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or is not visible in the command output.
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    Match your installed version to the following affected ranges: For Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager: >= 19.2 but < 19.2.3, >= 20.3 but < 20.3.1, >= 20.4 but < 20.4.1, >= 20.5 but < 20.5.1. For Cisco SD-WAN Vmanage: < 18.4.6, or >= 20.1 but < 20.1.2. For Vbond Orchestrator and Vsmart Controller: all versions are affected. For Vedge devices: all versions are affected.
    Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges or if you have a Vbond, Vsmart, or Vedge device (all versions affected).
  4. Verify local authenticated CLI access exists
    Confirm that local CLI access with authenticated credentials is enabled on the device. This vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker with CLI access. Check if CLI access is permitted and whether user authentication is configured.
    Affected if Local CLI access is available to non-administrative or untrusted users.

You are affected if you are running any version of Cisco SD-WAN Vbond Orchestrator, Vsmart Controller, or Vedge firmware, or if your Cisco SD-WAN Manager/Vmanage version falls within the specific ranges listed.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 18.4.6 / 19.2.3 / 20.1.2 or later
Fixed in 18.4.619.2.320.1.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from Cisco when available, or upgrade to a fixed version of Cisco SD-WAN Software. Restrict CLI access to trusted, authorized personnel only.

Fix this in Catalyst Sd Wan Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1512 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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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-2021-1512 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