CVE-2021-1391: Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Published Mar 24, 2021

Updated

A vulnerability in the dragonite debugger of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to escalate from privilege level 15 to root privilege. The vulnerability is due to the presence of development testing and verification scripts that remained on the device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by bypassing the consent token mechanism with the residual scripts on the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to escalate from privilege level 15 to root privilege.

Affected Software

134 affected components

cisco IOS=12.2\(6\)i1

cisco IOS=15.0\(2\)se13a

cisco IOS=15.1\(3\)svr1

cisco IOS=15.1\(3\)svr2

cisco IOS=15.1\(3\)svr3

cisco IOS=15.1\(3\)svs

cisco IOS=15.1\(3\)svs1

cisco IOS=15.2\(4\)ea10

cisco IOS=15.2\(5\)e

cisco IOS=15.2\(5\)e1

cisco IOS=15.2\(5\)e2

cisco IOS=15.2\(5\)e2b

cisco IOS=15.2\(5\)e2c

cisco IOS=15.2\(5\)ea

cisco IOS=15.2\(5\)ex

cisco IOS=15.2\(5a\)e

cisco IOS=15.2\(5a\)e1

cisco IOS=15.2\(5b\)e

cisco IOS=15.2\(5c\)e

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e0a

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e0c

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e1

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e1a

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e1s

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e2

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e2a

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e2b

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)e3

cisco IOS=15.2\(6\)eb

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e0a

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e0b

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e0s

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e1

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e1a

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e2

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e2a

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e2b

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e3

cisco IOS=15.2\(7\)e3k

cisco IOS=15.2\(7a\)e0b

cisco IOS=15.2\(7b\)e0b

cisco IOS=15.3\(3\)jf13

Cisco IOS XE=3.9.0e

Cisco IOS XE=3.9.1e

Cisco IOS XE=3.9.2be

Cisco IOS XE=3.9.2e

Cisco IOS XE=3.10.0ce

Cisco IOS XE=3.10.0e

Cisco IOS XE=3.10.1ae

Cisco IOS XE=3.10.1e

Cisco IOS XE=3.10.1se

Cisco IOS XE=3.10.2e

Cisco IOS XE=3.10.3e

Cisco IOS XE=3.11.0e

Cisco IOS XE=3.11.1ae

Cisco IOS XE=3.11.1e

Cisco IOS XE=3.11.2ae

Cisco IOS XE=3.11.2e

Cisco IOS XE=3.11.3ae

Cisco IOS XE=3.11.3e

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1a

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1b

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1c

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1d

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1e

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.1s

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.2

Cisco IOS XE=16.8.3

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1a

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1b

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1c

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1d

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.1s

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.2

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.2a

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.2s

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.3

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.3a

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.3h

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.3s

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.4

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.4c

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.5

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.5f

Cisco IOS XE=16.9.6

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1a

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1b

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1c

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1d

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1e

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1f

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1g

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.1s

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.2

Cisco IOS XE=16.10.3

Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1

Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1a

Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1b

Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1c

Cisco IOS XE=16.11.1s

Cisco IOS XE=16.11.2

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1a

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1c

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1s

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1t

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1w

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1x

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1y

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1z

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.1za

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.2

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.2a

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.2s

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.2t

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.3

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.3a

Cisco IOS XE=16.12.3s

Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1

Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1a

Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1s

Cisco IOS XE=17.1.1t

Cisco IOS XE=17.1.2

Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1

Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1a

Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1r

Cisco IOS XE=17.2.1v

Cisco IOS XE=17.2.2

Cisco IOS XE=17.2.3

Event History

Mar 24, 2021

CVE Published

via MITRE·08:07 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·08:07 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2021-1391?

CVE-2021-1391 has been assigned a high CVSS score indicating significant potential impact.

How do I fix CVE-2021-1391?

To fix CVE-2021-1391, upgrade to a fixed version of Cisco IOS XE software as recommended by Cisco.

Who is affected by CVE-2021-1391?

CVE-2021-1391 affects authenticated users with local access to Cisco IOS XE devices running specific versions.

What types of attacks are possible with CVE-2021-1391?

CVE-2021-1391 allows attackers to escalate privileges from level 15 to root, potentially compromising the device.

Is CVE-2021-1391 exploitable remotely?

CVE-2021-1391 is not exploitable remotely as it requires authenticated local access to the affected device.