CVE-2021-1549 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points are impacted by command injection vulnerabilities, allowing authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges. This article delves into the details of CVE-2021-1549.

Understanding CVE-2021-1549

This section provides insights into the nature of the vulnerability and its potential impact.

What is CVE-2021-1549?

The CVE-2021-1549 vulnerability exists in the web-based management interface of specific Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points, enabling attackers to perform command injections due to improper input validation. By sending crafted HTTP requests, a remote attacker with administrative credentials could execute arbitrary commands on the affected device.

The Impact of CVE-2021-1549

Given a base CVSS score of 4.7, with a medium severity level, the vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized command execution by malicious actors with valid administrative credentials.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-1549

This section outlines the vulnerability description, affected systems, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of certain Cisco Small Business 100, 300, and 500 Series Wireless Access Points could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to perform command injection attacks against an affected device. These vulnerabilities are due to improper validation of user-supplied input.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected product is the

Cisco Business Wireless Access Point Software

, with the version reported as

n/a

.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit the vulnerabilities by sending crafted HTTP requests to the web-based management interface of an affected system, gaining root privileges on the device.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section provides guidance on immediate steps to take, as well as long-term security practices and the importance of patching and updates.

Immediate Steps to Take

Organizations are advised to apply relevant security updates and limit access to the management interface to authorized personnel only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement network segmentation, regularly monitor device logs, and conduct security training to enhance overall cybersecurity posture.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from Cisco and promptly apply patches to address known vulnerabilities across the network.