CVE-2021-1208 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 • 02/14/2021
The CVE-2021-1208 vulnerability affects 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 as network gateways and security appliances in small business environments, making them attractive targets for cyber adversaries seeking persistent access to corporate networks. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web interface components that handle administrative requests. This weakness creates a pathway for authenticated remote code execution and denial of service conditions, fundamentally compromising the integrity and availability of these network devices.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through crafted HTTP requests sent to the affected router's web management interface. Attackers must first obtain valid administrator credentials to leverage these flaws, which aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and represents a privilege escalation vector. The improper input validation allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that bypass normal security controls, enabling arbitrary code execution with root privileges on the underlying operating system. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and CWE-77, covering command injection. The exploitation process typically involves sending specially crafted HTTP parameters or form data that trigger buffer overflows or code injection points within the router's web server components.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-1208 extends beyond simple code execution to include potential denial of service conditions that can disrupt business operations. When exploited, these vulnerabilities can cause unexpected device reboots, leading to network outages and service disruption for connected devices. The root privilege execution capability means that attackers can gain complete control over the router's configuration, potentially enabling them to modify firewall rules, redirect traffic, or establish persistent backdoors. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in small business environments where network security is often less sophisticated and monitoring capabilities are limited. The lack of available software updates for these devices creates a persistent risk for organizations that cannot immediately patch their affected infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, strict firewall rules restricting access to management ports, and regular monitoring for unusual traffic patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of principle of least privilege and proper access controls, as highlighted in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Network administrators should consider implementing network access control lists to restrict who can reach the router management interfaces and establish multi-factor authentication where possible. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all affected devices and develop incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts. The absence of vendor patches for these older router models necessitates operational workarounds and potentially hardware replacement strategies to maintain secure network operations.