Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a logged-in, low-privileged user on Cisco SD-WAN Software turn limited CLI access into Administrator-level command execution. It is not described as remotely exploitable without credentials, but it can matter in environments with shared operations access, contractors, or compromised accounts.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority infrastructure hardening issue. Prioritize remediation where SD-WAN administration is broadly delegated, outsourced, or exposed to compromised internal accounts.
Technical view
CVE-2021-1514 is a Cisco SD-WAN Software CLI input-validation flaw. Authenticated local users with low privileges can submit crafted CLI input that causes arbitrary commands to run with Administrator privileges on the underlying operating system. CVSS v3.0 is 4.4, with local access, low complexity, and low confidentiality/integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in organizations running Cisco SD-WAN Software where low-privileged users can authenticate locally and access affected CLI commands. The bundle does not provide affected version ranges.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires an authenticated local low-privileged user and CLI access, making insider misuse or post-compromise privilege escalation the main concern.
Researcher notes
The root issue is CWE-20 insufficient input validation in certain CLI commands. The described impact is Administrator-level OS command execution from a low-privileged authenticated CLI context. Evidence is incomplete on exact affected versions and fixed releases in the provided bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco’s advisory for affected and fixed release guidance.
- Inventory Cisco SD-WAN Software deployments and local CLI access paths.
- Restrict CLI access to trusted operational users only.
- Remove unnecessary low-privileged accounts from SD-WAN devices.
- Monitor authentication and CLI activity for unusual administrative changes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether deployed Cisco SD-WAN Software versions match Cisco’s advisory scope.
- List users with local CLI access and validate business need.
- Review device logs for suspicious CLI sessions or privilege changes.
- Verify command authorization limits for low-privileged roles.
- Confirm remediation status against vendor guidance, not assumptions.
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-20: 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-1514 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
- 4.4 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
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:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N1.82.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
4.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20210505 Cisco SD-WAN Software Privilege Escalation VulnerabilityCVE 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.
Improper Input Validation
Improper Input Validation represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.