CVE-2021-1200 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-2021-1200 vulnerabilities affect Cisco Small Business routers including RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W models, representing a critical security flaw in 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 that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing within the router's web management interface. This weakness creates a pathway for authenticated remote code execution and denial of service conditions that could compromise entire network infrastructures.
The technical exploitation of these vulnerabilities occurs through crafted HTTP requests sent to the affected devices, leveraging the improper input validation to inject malicious payloads. The flaw specifically manifests in how the web interface processes user-supplied parameters, allowing attackers to bypass authentication checks and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the underlying operating system. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability that falls under CWE-77 and CWE-94 categories, where insufficient validation of input data enables attackers to manipulate the application's execution flow. The exploitation requires only valid administrator credentials, which significantly lowers the attack barrier since these credentials are often weak or reused across multiple network devices.
The operational impact of these vulnerabilities extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as successful exploitation could result in complete network compromise and persistent backdoor access. An attacker with root-level access could modify routing tables, intercept network traffic, establish covert communication channels, or install persistent malware on the affected devices. The potential for denial of service through device reloads creates additional operational risks, as these routers often serve as primary network gateways in small business environments where network uptime is critical. The absence of official software updates from Cisco for these vulnerabilities leaves affected organizations without remediation options, forcing them to rely on network segmentation and access controls as temporary mitigation strategies.
Organizations should implement immediate network segmentation to isolate affected routers from critical network segments, particularly ensuring that administrative access is restricted to trusted network zones. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual HTTP traffic patterns or repeated authentication attempts that might indicate exploitation attempts. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting administrative access to only necessary personnel and implementing multi-factor authentication where possible. Security teams should also consider disabling the web management interface entirely when not actively needed, relying instead on secure SSH or console access for administrative tasks. The ATT&CK framework categorizes these vulnerabilities under T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1078 for valid accounts, emphasizing the need for layered security approaches that address both credential protection and input validation controls.