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CVE Record

CVE-2021-34703: Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Link Layer Discovery Protocol Denial of Service Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) message parser of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an attacker to trigger a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to improper initialization of a buffer. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability via any of the following methods: An authenticated, remote attacker could access the LLDP neighbor table via either the CLI or SNMP while the device is in a specific state. An unauthenticated, adjacent attacker could corrupt the LLDP neighbor table by injecting specific LLDP frames into the network and then waiting for an administrator of the device or a network management system (NMS) managing the device to retrieve the LLDP neighbor table of the device via either the CLI or SNMP. An authenticated, adjacent attacker with SNMP read-only credentials or low privileges on the device CLI could corrupt the LLDP neighbor table by injecting specific LLDP frames into the network and then accessing the LLDP neighbor table via either the CLI or SNMP. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the affected device to crash, resulting in a reload of the device.

MediumCVSS 6.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-34703 can make affected Cisco IOS and IOS XE network devices reload after malformed LLDP-related state is processed. The practical business impact is outage risk for routers or switches, not data theft. Exploitation requires adjacent network position or credentials to view LLDP neighbor data, so exposure depends heavily on network segmentation and management access controls.

Executive priority

Treat as a targeted availability risk for network infrastructure. Prioritize devices supporting critical connectivity, shared access networks, and environments where untrusted adjacent systems or broad SNMP access exist. This is not currently evidenced as mass-exploited, but a reload of key network devices can still create business interruption.

Technical view

The issue is in the LLDP message parser and stems from improper buffer initialization. Attack paths involve corrupting or accessing the LLDP neighbor table through adjacent LLDP frames and CLI or SNMP retrieval. Successful exploitation causes a device crash and reload, producing a denial-of-service condition. CVSS 3.1 is 6.8 with high availability impact.

Likely exposure

Most exposed systems are Cisco IOS or IOS XE devices running affected software with LLDP active on interfaces reachable by untrusted adjacent systems, or with CLI/SNMP neighbor-table access available to low-privileged users or management systems.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not report active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. The described paths require adjacent network access and, in some cases, authenticated CLI or SNMP read access. This makes broad internet exploitation unlikely, but localized disruption is credible on shared or weakly controlled Layer 2 networks.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports denial of service through LLDP neighbor table corruption or access paths, not confidentiality or integrity compromise. The provided data does not include exploit code, proof of active exploitation, or detailed fixed-version mapping. Use Cisco’s advisory as the authoritative source for affected platforms and remediation decisions.

Mitigation direction

  • Review Cisco advisory for affected releases and fixed software guidance.
  • Prioritize remediation for core routing, switching, and high-availability network paths.
  • Reduce LLDP exposure on untrusted or unnecessary interfaces where operationally acceptable.
  • Restrict SNMP and CLI read access to trusted administrators and management systems.
  • Monitor for unexpected reloads on affected Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Cisco IOS and IOS XE devices and compare versions with Cisco guidance.
  • Confirm where LLDP is enabled and whether adjacent hosts are trusted.
  • Review SNMP and CLI accounts allowed to read LLDP neighbor data.
  • Check device logs for reloads near LLDP neighbor table queries.
  • Validate remediation by confirming upgraded or otherwise vendor-approved software state.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
3

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-456: Exact CWE lookup

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2021-34703 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
6.8CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H2.34Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

6.8Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-34703Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
CiscoCisco IOSn/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-456 · source CWE mapping

Missing Initialization of a Variable

Missing Initialization of a Variable represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.