Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication · Cisco
CVE-2021-1519
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 interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite VPN profiles on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IPC message to the AnyConnect process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to modify VPN profile files. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials on the affected 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 · low confidenceThe Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client contains an input validation flaw in its interprocess communication (IPC) channel. An authenticated local attacker with valid system credentials can send a specially crafted IPC message to the AnyConnect process, allowing the attacker to overwrite or modify VPN profile files on the affected device.
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
Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication
< 4.10.00093CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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.
-
Check installed Cisco AnyConnect versionOpen Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client\ or check the program files directory (typically C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client) for the client executable and view its propertiesAffected if The installed version number is less than 4.10.00093 (for example, 4.9.x, 4.8.x, etc.)
-
Verify AnyConnect client is presentCheck if the Cisco AnyConnect client is installed on the system by looking for the installation directory under Program Files or via Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if The client is installed and the version is below 4.10.00093
-
Locate VPN profile configuration filesNavigate to the profile storage location, typically found in %PROGRAMDATA%\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client\Profile or within the client installation directoryAffected if Profile XML files exist and the AnyConnect version is below 4.10.00093
-
Review VPN profile files for unauthorized changesCompare current VPN profile XML files against known-good baselines or check file modification timestamps and integrity using file hashing toolsAffected if Profile files show unexpected modifications, new unexpected profiles appear, or file permissions have been altered
A system is affected if Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client version is below 4.10.00093 and the client is installed, as the vulnerable IPC channel can be exploited by any authenticated local user to modify VPN profile 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 data4.10.00093
Apply the vendor patch released by Cisco for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict local system access to trusted users and monitor for unauthorized modification of VPN profile files.
Fix this in Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1519 — 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-2021-1519 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