CVE-2021-1199 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 CVE-2021-1199 vulnerabilities affect Cisco Small Business routers including RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W models, presenting critical security risks through their web-based management interfaces. These devices operate as network infrastructure components that typically serve small office and home office environments, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking persistent network access. The vulnerabilities stem from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web interface, creating pathways for malicious exploitation that could compromise the entire network infrastructure. The affected devices run on embedded operating systems that require robust security controls given their role in network traffic management and access control.
The technical flaw manifests through improper validation of user-supplied input in the web-based management interface components. This weakness creates a classic injection vulnerability pattern where attacker-controlled data can bypass validation checks and be processed by the underlying operating system. The vulnerability allows for command injection attacks through crafted HTTP requests that exploit the lack of proper sanitization in input handling routines. When an attacker submits malicious input through the web interface, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the data before processing, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with root privileges. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes "Improper Input Validation" as a fundamental weakness in software design that allows malicious inputs to be processed without adequate security checks.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable complete system compromise. An authenticated attacker with administrator credentials can leverage these flaws to execute arbitrary code as the root user, effectively gaining full control over the device and potentially the entire network segment it protects. The ability to cause unexpected device restarts creates additional attack vectors for denial of service scenarios that could disrupt network operations and availability. Network administrators face significant risks as these devices typically control critical network functions including firewall rules, routing decisions, and access controls, making successful exploitation particularly damaging for network security posture.
The exploitation requires an attacker to possess valid administrator credentials, which represents a baseline privilege level but does not prevent serious consequences once achieved. This vulnerability type aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage, and T1499, which addresses network disruption through device restarts. The lack of available software updates from Cisco represents a particularly concerning aspect of this vulnerability, as organizations cannot remediate the issue through standard patch management procedures. This leaves affected deployments in a state of ongoing risk without mitigation options, potentially requiring complete device replacement or network segmentation to contain the threat. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect suspicious HTTP request patterns and consider deploying network access controls to limit administrative access to these devices.
Security best practices recommend immediate network segmentation of affected devices, implementation of multi-factor authentication for administrative access, and regular monitoring for anomalous network behavior. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of management interfaces. Organizations should also consider implementing network intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for potential compromise scenarios. Given the embedded nature of these devices and their limited update capabilities, physical security controls and access restrictions become even more critical for protecting against unauthorized administrative access.