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CVE Record

CVE-2021-1232: Cisco SD-WAN vManage Information Disclosure Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying filesystem of an affected system. This vulnerability is due to insufficient access control for sensitive information that is written to an affected system. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by accessing sensitive information that they are not authorized to access on an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to gain access to devices and other network management systems that they should not have access to.Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

MediumCVSS 6.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

An authenticated user who can reach Cisco SD-WAN vManage could read files they should not access. The main business risk is exposure of sensitive management data that could help them reach network devices or other management systems.

Executive priority

Prioritize remediation for internet-exposed or broadly accessible management environments. This is not a destructive vulnerability, but disclosure from a network-management platform can expand attacker reach inside the enterprise.

Technical view

The web-based management interface has insufficient access control around sensitive information written to the system. A remote attacker with low privileges can read arbitrary files, with high confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability impact in the CVSS vector.

Likely exposure

Organizations running affected Cisco SD-WAN vManage or Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager versions listed in the advisory, especially where the management interface is reachable by many authenticated users.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires authentication and network reachability to the management web interface.

Researcher notes

CWE-522 is listed, but the description centers on insufficient access control to sensitive information and arbitrary file read. The source bundle does not provide exploit details, fixed version mapping, or evidence of public exploitation.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Cisco software updates that address CVE-2021-1232.
  • Do not rely on a workaround; Cisco states none address this vulnerability.
  • Review Cisco advisory guidance for fixed release selection.
  • Limit vManage management access to authorized administrative paths only.
  • Audit low-privilege accounts with vManage access.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Cisco SD-WAN vManage or Catalyst SD-WAN Manager versions.
  • Compare deployed versions against Cisco's affected release list.
  • Confirm upgrade targets using Cisco's advisory.
  • Review management-interface access lists and identity groups.
  • Check logs for unusual access to sensitive management data.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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 · medium confidence lookup

CWE-522: Credential and account abuse lookup

Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. 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 lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2021-1232 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/RL:X/RC:X/E:X

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
5Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
6.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/RL:X/RC:X/E:X2.83.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

6.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-1232Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/RL:X/RC:X/E:X

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
CiscoCisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager20.1.12, 19.2.1, 18.4.4, 18.4.5, 20.1.1.1, 20.1.1, 19.3.0, 19.2.2, 19.2.099, 18.3.6, 18.3.7, 19.2.0, 18.3.8, 19.0.0, 19.1.0, 18.4.302, 18.4.303, 19.2.097, 19.2.098, 17.2.10, 18.3.6.1, 19.0.1a, 18.2.0, 18.4.3, 18.4.1, 17.2.8, 18.3.3.1, 18.4.0, 18.3.1, 17.2.6, 17.2.9, 18.3.4, 17.2.5, 18.3.1.1, 18.3.5, 18.4.0.1, 18.3.3, 17.2.7, 17.2.4, 18.3.0, 19.2.3, 18.4.501_ES, 20.3.1, 20.1.2, 19.2.929, 19.2.31unknown
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-522

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.