Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a highly privileged user break out of Ivanti MobileIron Core’s restricted management shell and run operating system commands. It is not described as remotely exploitable by an unauthenticated attacker, but it could turn compromised administrator access into deeper control of the appliance.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority appliance hardening and upgrade item. It is most urgent if administrator access may be shared, weakly controlled, externally reachable, or recently suspected of compromise.
Technical view
CVE-2021-3198 is an OS command injection issue in MobileIron Core’s restricted clish environment. Abuse of a package-install URL workflow can escape the shell on versions 10.7.0.1-9 and 11.0.0.1-3. The CVSS vector requires high privileges, has low complexity, and can impact confidentiality and integrity.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Ivanti MobileIron Core deployments running versions 10.7.0.1-9 or 11.0.0.1-3. Risk is higher where administrative credentials, support access, or appliance management interfaces are broadly available.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cite active exploitation. Public reporting describes a shell escape and privilege escalation path, but exploitation requires high privileges according to the CVSS vector.
Researcher notes
The key constraint is privileges: CVSS marks PR:H, so validation should focus on affected versions and administrative access paths. Available sources identify the fixed version but do not provide broader workaround detail beyond upgrading and checking vendor guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected MobileIron Core systems to version 11.1.0.0 or later.
- Check current Ivanti guidance for any newer fixed releases or advisories.
- Limit administrative and support access to the appliance management interface.
- Review privileged account access and remove unnecessary administrators.
- Monitor appliance logs for unusual privileged shell or package-management activity.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all MobileIron Core appliances and record exact version numbers.
- Confirm no systems run 10.7.0.1-9 or 11.0.0.1-3.
- Verify upgraded systems report version 11.1.0.0 or later.
- Review who can access clish or equivalent administrative functions.
- Check security tools for CVE-2021-3198 coverage and findings.
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-2021-3198 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
- 6.5 (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: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:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N1.25.2Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2021/06/02/untitled-cve-2021-3198-and-cve-2021-3540-mobileiron-shell-escape-privilege-escalation-vulnerabilities/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.