CVE-2021-1178 in Small Business
Summary
by MITRE • 01/14/2021
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W Routers could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause an affected device to restart unexpectedly. The vulnerabilities are due to improper validation of user-supplied input in the web-based management interface. An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by sending crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code as the root user on the underlying operating system or cause the device to reload, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. To exploit these vulnerabilities, an attacker would need to have valid administrator credentials on the affected device. Cisco has not released software updates that address these vulnerabilities.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-1178 affects Cisco Small Business routers including the RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W models, presenting a critical security risk through their web-based management interfaces. These devices operate within small office and home environments where they serve as primary network gateways, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking persistent network access. The vulnerabilities stem from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web interface components, creating pathways for malicious exploitation that could compromise the entire network infrastructure.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of user-supplied input within the web management interface of these routers. This weakness allows an authenticated attacker with administrator credentials to manipulate HTTP requests sent to the device in ways that bypass normal input sanitization processes. The vulnerability falls under CWE-20, which specifically addresses "Improper Input Validation," a fundamental security principle that requires all user inputs to be rigorously validated before processing. When input validation fails, attackers can inject malicious payloads that exploit the underlying operating system, potentially executing arbitrary code with root privileges.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends beyond simple code execution, as successful exploitation could result in complete device compromise and subsequent denial of service conditions. An attacker could gain root-level access to the underlying operating system, enabling them to modify network configurations, install backdoors, monitor traffic, or escalate their privileges further within the network. The device reload functionality provides an additional attack vector for denial of service attacks, where an attacker could repeatedly trigger device reboots, disrupting network connectivity and potentially causing cascading failures in network services that depend on these devices.
From an adversarial perspective, these vulnerabilities align with ATT&CK techniques categorized under privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms, specifically targeting the T1068 privilege escalation technique and T1078 legitimate credentials usage. The requirement for valid administrator credentials means that attackers would need to either compromise existing administrative accounts through social engineering, credential stuffing, or other attack vectors before exploiting these vulnerabilities. This authentication requirement does not mitigate the risk significantly, as administrative credentials are often reused across multiple systems and may be obtained through various reconnaissance and exploitation techniques.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate these devices from critical network segments, regular monitoring of network traffic for unusual HTTP request patterns, and credential management improvements to prevent unauthorized access. The lack of available software updates from Cisco underscores the importance of network administrators maintaining awareness of vulnerable device inventories and implementing alternative security controls such as network access control lists, intrusion detection systems, and regular vulnerability assessments to protect against exploitation of known vulnerabilities in network infrastructure devices.