CVE-2021-1447

Root command execution via flawed password generation

Published May 6, 2021 · Updated Nov 8, 2024

Privilege escalation in Cisco Content Security Management Appliance allows local users with Administrator credentials to execute commands as root. The AsyncOS user account management system uses a procedurally flawed password-generation algorithm, but Cisco has not disclosed the faulty step. Exploitation requires activation of specific Administrator-only features and an elevated local CLI connection, and it grants access to the underlying operating system.

CVSS severity6.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.27%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Cisco Content Security Management Appliance allows local users with Administrator credentials to execute commands as root. The AsyncOS user account management system uses a procedurally flawed password-generation algorithm, but Cisco has not disclosed the faulty step. Exploitation requires activation of specific Administrator-only features and an elevated local CLI connection, and it grants access to the underlying operating system.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-1447
Published
May 6, 2021
Updated
Nov 8, 2024
Vendor
ClamAV
Product
Cisco Content Security Management Appliance
Classifications
CWE-269, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 6, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 8, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=n/a

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

ClamAV · Cisco Content Security Management Applianceversion=n/a

Published CVSS scores

7.2NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
6.7Cisco Systems, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:X/RL:X/RC:X

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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