Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Cisco router issue lets someone with administrator access abuse the web management interface to run code on the router or crash it. The attacker already needs valid admin credentials, but successful exploitation could mean full device control or service disruption. Cisco did not list a software update in the supplied advisory data.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for any remaining affected Cisco RV routers. The credential requirement lowers broad attack likelihood, but the impact can include full router compromise or outage, and the supplied source says no Cisco software update addresses it.
Technical view
CVE-2021-1159 covers improper validation of user-supplied input in Cisco Small Business RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W web management interfaces. An authenticated remote administrator can send crafted HTTP requests, potentially causing root-level code execution or device reload. CVSS v3.1 is 7.2 with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in small office, branch, or remote-site networks still operating the named Cisco RV router models with reachable web-based management interfaces. The vulnerability requires valid administrator credentials, so credential hygiene and management-plane exposure are central to risk.
Exploitation context
The supplied bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires authenticated administrator access, but the post-auth impact is serious because successful exploitation may execute code as root or force a denial of service.
Researcher notes
The record identifies CWE-121 and input-validation failure in the web management interface. The source bundle does not provide patched versions, workarounds, exploit maturity, or detailed vulnerable endpoints. Avoid assuming broader Cisco RV exposure beyond the listed RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W models.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco’s advisory for current vendor guidance and affected-device handling.
- Identify any RV110W, RV130, RV130W, or RV215W routers in use.
- Restrict web management access to trusted administrative networks only.
- Review administrator accounts and remove unnecessary or shared credentials.
- Plan replacement or compensating controls where no vendor update is available.
Validation and detection
- Confirm exact router model and firmware through asset records or management inventory.
- Verify whether the web-based management interface is reachable from untrusted networks.
- Review admin account lists for stale, shared, or unexpected users.
- Check logs for unexpected administrator sessions or management-interface activity.
- Track remediation status against the Cisco advisory and internal asset inventory.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-121: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-1159 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.25.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.2HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20210113 Cisco Small Business RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W Routers Management Interface Remote Command Execution and Denial of Service VulnerabilitiesCVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_CISCO
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Stack-based Buffer Overflow
Stack-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.