Business Process AutomationApplication · Cisco
CVE-2021-1574
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 · uneditedMultiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Business Process Automation (BPA) could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator. These vulnerabilities are due to improper authorization enforcement for specific features and for access to log files that contain confidential information. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities either by submitting crafted HTTP messages to an affected system and performing unauthorized actions with the privileges of an administrator, or by retrieving sensitive data from the logs and using it to impersonate a legitimate privileged user. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to Administrator.
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 confidenceMultiple authorization flaws in Cisco BPA's web management interface allow authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized administrative actions via crafted HTTP requests or to extract sensitive data from log files to impersonate privileged users, resulting in full Administrator privilege escalation.
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
Business Process AutomationApplication
< 3.1CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify if Cisco Business Process Automation is installedLocate the Cisco BPA installation directory or check for BPA services running on the systemAffected if Cisco BPA software is present on the system
-
Determine the installed BPA versionUse the BPA management interface, command-line tool, or check version files in the installation directoryAffected if The installed version is any release prior to version 3.1
-
Verify if the web management interface is accessibleAttempt to access the BPA web interface URL or check the service configuration for HTTP/HTTPS listenersAffected if The web management interface is exposed and reachable
-
Check for unauthorized administrative actions in logsExamine BPA log files for commands, configuration changes, or administrative operations initiated by unexpected user accountsAffected if Log entries show administrative actions performed by users without proper authorization or by impersonated privileged accounts
-
Review logs for sensitive data extraction attemptsInspect log files for unauthorized access patterns, particularly requests that may have extracted credential data, session tokens, or privileged user informationAffected if Logs contain evidence of unauthorized access to sensitive data or privilege escalation attempts
A system is affected if Cisco Business Process Automation is installed with a version prior to 3.1 and the web management interface is accessible, allowing authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized admin actions or extract sensitive data from logs.
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.
dbcve · scoped3.1
Apply the vendor-provided patches or updates from Cisco for Business Process Automation; if unavailable, restrict web interface access to trusted administrators and monitor logs for unauthorized access patterns.
Cisco Business Process Automation version 3.1
- 1. Identify the current Cisco Business Process Automation version installed
- 2. Back up all BPA configuration data and databases according to standard backup procedures
- 3. Download Cisco Business Process Automation version 3.1 or later from the Cisco software downloads portal (tools.cisco.com)
- 4. Review the Cisco BPA upgrade guide for version 3.1 for pre-upgrade requirements
- 5. Perform the upgrade following the documented upgrade procedure
- 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the BPA version in the web interface
- 7. Confirm that all services are running properly after upgrade
- 8. Validate that administrative functions work correctly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Business Process Automation
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-1574 — 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-2021-1574 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