Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-3540 lets a highly privileged user escape Ivanti MobileIron Core's restricted clish shell by abusing a command argument path. The main business risk is loss of containment on an already-administered appliance, not unauthenticated compromise. Sources say Ivanti fixed it in version 11.1.0.0.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted appliance hardening item. It is not described as unauthenticated or actively exploited, but affected MobileIron Core systems should be upgraded because administrative shell escape can materially increase impact after account compromise.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-88 argument injection in the MobileIron Core clish command 'install rpm info detail'. A network-reachable attacker with high privileges can break out of the restricted shell. CVSS 3.1 is 6.5 with high confidentiality and integrity impact, no availability impact, and high privileges required.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Ivanti MobileIron Core versions 10.7.0.1-9 and 11.0.0.1-3. Systems at 11.1.0.0 or later are described as fixed. The source bundle provides no CPEs or broader affected product list.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The vulnerability is still operationally important because it weakens administrative shell restrictions after high-privilege access is obtained.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse beyond the CVE metadata and Rapid7 reference. Do not assume unauthenticated access or public exploitation from these sources. Focus validation on affected version detection, privilege boundaries, clish audit evidence, and confirmation that version 11.1.0.0 or later is installed.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Ivanti MobileIron Core to version 11.1.0.0 or later.
- Restrict administrative access to trusted networks and named administrators.
- Review vendor guidance for any newer advisories or supported upgrade paths.
- Remove or disable unused privileged accounts where operationally possible.
Validation and detection
- Inventory MobileIron Core instances and record exact software versions.
- Confirm no instance runs versions 10.7.0.1-9 or 11.0.0.1-3.
- Review who has high-privilege clish access on affected systems.
- Check administrative logs for unexpected use of clish package-inspection functions.
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-88: 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 lookupCVE-2021-3540 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 Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.