Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects several Cisco Small Business RV routers. An attacker who already has valid administrator credentials could use the web management interface to run code as root or force the router to restart, potentially disrupting network access or compromising the device.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for affected routers that support business connectivity or remote sites. The flaw needs administrator credentials, but successful exploitation could fully compromise the router or disrupt availability.
Technical view
CVE-2021-1333 is an authenticated remote command execution and denial-of-service issue in the web-based management interface of Cisco RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325 routers. Cisco attributes it to improper validation of user input. CVSS 3.1 is 7.2, high severity, with high privileges required.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where affected Cisco Small Business RV routers are still deployed and administrator access to the web management interface is available. The source bundle does not provide affected firmware ranges.
Exploitation context
The sources state exploitation requires valid administrator credentials and crafted HTTP requests to the management interface. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The bundle identifies CWE-121 and improper input validation in the management interface, but does not include firmware version granularity, exploit telemetry, or detailed fixed-release data. Treat vendor advisory review as required before final remediation planning.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco’s advisory for affected firmware and fixed-release guidance.
- Inventory RV016, RV042, RV042G, RV082, RV320, and RV325 devices.
- Limit router administrator access to trusted management paths.
- Audit administrator accounts because exploitation requires valid admin credentials.
- Monitor for unexpected device reloads or suspicious admin activity.
Validation and detection
- Identify all deployed Cisco Small Business RV Series routers.
- Compare each device model and firmware against Cisco’s advisory.
- Confirm web management access is not broadly reachable.
- Review logs for unexpected reloads and administrator sessions.
- Check whether administrative credentials have been shared or reused.
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-2021-1333 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
- 20210203 Cisco Small Business RV Series 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.
