Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Cisco CSPC has a configuration dashboard flaw that can let a logged-in super administrator run code on the appliance as root. This is serious for organizations using CSPC, but the attacker already needs the highest application privilege, which limits broad exposure.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted-risk remediation item. Prioritize CSPC instances exposed to broad internal networks or with weak administrative controls. It is not KEV-listed in the provided data, but root-level impact warrants timely review.
Technical view
CVE-2021-1538 is a CWE-78 command injection issue in Cisco Common Services Platform Collector Software. Insufficient sanitization of configuration entries in the CSPC configuration dashboard allows crafted input by an authenticated remote super admin, potentially resulting in root-level arbitrary code execution.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to environments running Cisco Common Services Platform Collector Software where an attacker can authenticate as a super admin and reach the configuration dashboard. The provided bundle does not specify affected versions.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not identify public exploitation or CISA KEV listing. Exploitation requires remote authenticated access with super admin privileges and crafted configuration input. Root execution impact is high, but privilege requirements materially reduce likelihood.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are PR:H, UI:N, AC:L, and root execution after successful command injection. The analysis depends on Cisco’s advisory for version and fix details, which are referenced but not expanded in the bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cisco’s advisory for affected and fixed CSPC releases.
- Restrict CSPC super admin access to trusted administrators only.
- Limit network access to the CSPC configuration dashboard.
- Audit and remove unnecessary super admin accounts.
- Monitor Cisco guidance for any updated remediation details.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco CSPC deployments in the environment.
- Compare deployed CSPC versions against Cisco’s advisory.
- Review who has CSPC super admin privileges.
- Confirm dashboard access is restricted to approved management networks.
- Check administrative change history for unexpected configuration edits.
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-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. 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-2021-1538 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
- 4.7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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:L/I:L/A:L1.23.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.7MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 20210602 Cisco Common Services Platform Collector Command Injection 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 Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.