Summary

• A vulnerability in the role-based access control of Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with read-only privileges to obtain administrative privileges by using the console port when the device is in the default SD-WAN configuration.

  This vulnerability occurs because the default configuration is applied for console authentication and authorization. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by connecting to the console port and authenticating as a read-only user. A successful exploit could allow a user with read-only permissions to access administrative privileges.

  Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

  This advisory is available at the following link:
  https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-esc-rSNVvTf9

Affected Products

• Vulnerable Products

  At the time of publication, this vulnerability affected universal Cisco IOS XE Software earlier than the first fixed release if it was running in Controller mode. Cisco IOS XE Software releases earlier than Release 17.2.1r are not affected by this vulnerability because they do not include the SD-WAN feature. For additional information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.

  At the time of publication, this vulnerability affected all standalone Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software releases earlier than the first fixed release

  Note: The standalone Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN release images are separate from the universal Cisco IOS XE Software releases. The SD-WAN feature set was first integrated into the universal Cisco IOS XE Software releases starting with IOS XE Software Release 17.2.1r. For additional information, see the Install and Upgrade Cisco IOS XE Release 17.2.1r and Later chapter of the Cisco SD-WAN Getting Started Guide.

  For additional information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.

  See the Details section in the bug ID(s) at the top of this advisory for the most complete and current information.

  Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable

  Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.

  Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect the following Cisco products:

  • IOS Software
  • IOS XE Software in autonomous mode
  • IOS XR Software
  • NX-OS Software
  • SD-WAN vBond Orchestrator Software
  • SD-WAN vEdge Routers
  • SD-WAN vManage Software
  • SD-WAN vSmart Controller Software

Workarounds

• There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

Fixed Software

• When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories page, to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.

  In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.

  Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software

  To help customers determine their exposure to vulnerabilities in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, Cisco provides the Cisco Software Checker to identify any Cisco Security Advisories that impact a specific software release and the earliest release that fixes the vulnerabilities described in each advisory (“First Fixed”). If applicable, the tool also returns the earliest release that fixes all the vulnerabilities described in all the advisories identified (“Combined First Fixed”).

  Customers can use the Cisco Software Checker to search advisories in the following ways:

  • Choose the software and one or more releases
  • Upload a .txt file that includes a list of specific releases
  • Enter the output of the show version command

  After initiating a search, customers can customize the search to include all Cisco Security Advisories, a specific advisory, or all advisories in the most recent bundled publication.

  Customers can also use the following form to determine whether a release is affected by any Cisco Security Advisory by entering a Cisco IOS or IOS XE Software release-for example, 15.1(4)M2 or 3.13.8S:

  By default, the Cisco Software Checker includes results only for vulnerabilities that have a Critical or High Security Impact Rating (SIR). To include results for Medium SIR vulnerabilities, customers can use the Cisco Software Checker on Cisco.com and check the Medium check box in the drop-down list under Impact Rating when customizing a search.

  Standalone Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software

  At the time of publication, standalone Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software releases 16.12(5) and later contained the fix for this vulnerability.

  See the Details section in the bug ID(s) at the top of this advisory for the most complete and current information.

Exploitation and Public Announcements

• The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.

Source

• This vulnerability was found during internal security testing.

URL

• https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sdwan-esc-rSNVvTf9

Revision History

• Version	Description	Section	Status	Date
  1.0	Initial public release.	-	Final	2021-MAR-24

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