Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-1215 affects Cisco Small Business RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W routers. An attacker with valid administrator credentials could abuse the web management interface to run code as root or crash the device. Cisco has not released software updates for these vulnerabilities in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority edge-device risk where affected models remain in service. The credential requirement lowers likelihood, but root execution and router denial of service can disrupt connectivity and weaken network boundaries. No Cisco software update is identified in the provided sources.
Technical view
The issue is improper validation of user-supplied input in the web-based management interface, associated with CWE-121. A remote authenticated administrator can send crafted HTTP requests that may cause arbitrary code execution as root or device reload. CVSS v3.1 is 7.2 with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to environments still running the named Cisco Small Business router models, especially where the management interface is reachable by administrators over a network. Internet-exposed administration would increase business risk, but the source bundle does not state exposure prevalence.
Exploitation context
The attacker must already have valid administrator credentials. The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitability is still serious because successful abuse can produce root-level control or denial of service on edge network equipment.
Researcher notes
Evidence is strongest for affected models, attack preconditions, impact, CVSS, and lack of Cisco updates. The bundle does not provide exploit telemetry, detailed workarounds, or proof of active exploitation. Avoid assuming additional Cisco products or firmware branches are affected without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Check Cisco advisory for current vendor guidance and status.
- Identify and prioritize affected RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W routers.
- Replace or isolate affected devices where no vendor update is available.
- Restrict management access to trusted administrative networks only.
- Review and harden administrator credential handling.
Validation and detection
- Inventory router models against Cisco's affected product list.
- Confirm whether web management is reachable from untrusted networks.
- Review administrator accounts for unauthorized or stale credentials.
- Check logs for unexpected administrative access or device reloads.
- Document compensating controls and replacement decisions.
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-2021-1215 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.