Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
An authenticated remote user of the Cisco management interface could see sensitive password data because confidential values were included in HTTP requests. This is not a full system takeover issue, but it can expose credentials that may support further compromise if misused.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority credential exposure issue. Schedule patching promptly, especially for internet-reachable or broadly accessible management interfaces, and consider credential rotation where sensitive passwords may have been exposed.
Technical view
CVE-2021-1425 is a CWE-201 information disclosure flaw in the web-based management interface of Cisco AsyncOS Software for Cisco Content Security Management Appliance/Secure Email and Web Manager. The issue has CVSS 3.1 score 4.3 and requires low-privileged authenticated network access. Cisco released software updates and lists no workaround.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager or SMA management interfaces are reachable by authenticated users who should not see broader configured passwords. The bundle does not provide specific affected version ranges.
Exploitation context
The source bundle says exploitation requires an authenticated remote attacker reviewing raw HTTP requests sent to the management interface. KEV is false, and the provided sources do not state active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to CVE and Cisco advisory data in the bundle. The affected version list is not included here. Do not assume unauthenticated exploitation, public exploitation, or broader product impact beyond the cited Cisco management interface issue.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco advisory for affected AsyncOS releases and fixed versions.
- Upgrade affected Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager/SMA appliances to Cisco-fixed software.
- Restrict web management access to trusted administrative networks and approved administrators.
- If exposure is suspected, rotate passwords configured through the management interface.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager/SMA appliances and record AsyncOS versions.
- Confirm appliances run a Cisco-fixed release listed in the advisory.
- Review administrative access paths to the web management interface.
- Check retained logs for unusual authenticated management sessions.
- Identify interface-configured credentials and assess rotation need.
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-201: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
Information exposure and SSRF weaknesses can make discovery, cloud metadata, and credential material review relevant. 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 lookupCVE-2021-1425 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N/RL:X/RC:X/E:X
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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N/RL:X/RC:X/E:X2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N/RL:X/RC:X/E:X
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- cisco-sa-esa-sma-info-disclo-VOu2GHbZCVE reference
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.
Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data
Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.