6.8
MEDIUM
CVE-2021-1452
"Cisco ROMMON Unauthenticated Code Execution Vulnerability"
Description

A vulnerability in the ROM Monitor (ROMMON) of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst IE3200, IE3300, and IE3400 Rugged Series Switches, Cisco Catalyst IE3400 Heavy Duty Series Switches, and Cisco Embedded Services 3300 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to execute unsigned code at system boot time. This vulnerability is due to incorrect validations of specific function arguments passed to a boot script when specific ROMMON variables are set. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by setting malicious values for a specific ROMMON variable. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute unsigned code and bypass the image verification check during the secure boot process of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have unauthenticated, physical access to the device or obtain privileged access to the root shell on the device.

INFO

Published Date :

March 24, 2021, 8:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

Nov. 21, 2024, 5:44 a.m.

Remotely Exploitable :

No

Impact Score :

5.9

Exploitability Score :

0.9
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2021-1452 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Cisco ios_xe_rom_monitor
2 Cisco catalyst_ie3200_rugged_switch
3 Cisco catalyst_ie3300_rugged_switch
4 Cisco catalyst_ie3400_heavy_duty_switch
5 Cisco catalyst_ie3400_rugged_switch
6 Cisco ess_3300
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2021-1452.

URL Resource
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-romvar-cmd-inj-N56fYbrw Vendor Advisory
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-romvar-cmd-inj-N56fYbrw Vendor Advisory

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2021-1452 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2021-1452 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    Nov. 21, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-romvar-cmd-inj-N56fYbrw
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    May. 14, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Nov. 07, 2023

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Removed CVSS V3 Cisco Systems, Inc. AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CVSS V3.1 Cisco Systems, Inc. AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Mar. 31, 2021

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V2 NIST (AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C)
    Added CVSS V3.1 NIST AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Changed Reference Type https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-romvar-cmd-inj-N56fYbrw No Types Assigned https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxe-romvar-cmd-inj-N56fYbrw Vendor Advisory
    Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_rom_monitor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 7.0 OR cpe:2.3:h:cisco:catalyst_ie3200_rugged_switch:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:h:cisco:catalyst_ie3300_rugged_switch:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:h:cisco:catalyst_ie3400_heavy_duty_switch:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:h:cisco:catalyst_ie3400_rugged_switch:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:h:cisco:ess_3300:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Mar. 24, 2021

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Description A vulnerability in the ROM Monitor (ROMMON) of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst IE3200, IE3300, and IE3400 Rugged Series Switches, Cisco Catalyst IE3400 Heavy Duty Series Switches, and Cisco Embedded Services 3300 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to execute unsigned code at system boot time. This vulnerability is due to incorrect validations of specific function arguments passed to a boot script when specific ROMMON variables are set. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by setting malicious values for a specific ROMMON variable. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute unsigned code and bypass the image verification check during the secure boot process of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have unauthenticated, physical access to the device or obtain privileged access to the root shell on the device. A vulnerability in the ROM Monitor (ROMMON) of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst IE3200, IE3300, and IE3400 Rugged Series Switches, Cisco Catalyst IE3400 Heavy Duty Series Switches, and Cisco Embedded Services 3300 Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to execute unsigned code at system boot time. This vulnerability is due to incorrect validations of specific function arguments passed to a boot script when specific ROMMON variables are set. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by setting malicious values for a specific ROMMON variable. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute unsigned code and bypass the image verification check during the secure boot process of an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have unauthenticated, physical access to the device or obtain privileged access to the root shell on the device.
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2021-1452 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Exploit Prediction

EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.

0.07 }} -0.03%

score

0.28652

percentile

CVSS31 - Vulnerability Scoring System
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability