How severe is CVE-2021-1381?

CVE-2021-1381 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2021-1381 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (18th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-1381?

CVE-2021-1381 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe. In total, 36 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-1381?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-1381 published?

CVE-2021-1381 was published on 2021-03-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-1381

CVE-2021-1381 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Ios Xe with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-489.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.1)
CVSS v2: 3.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (18th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-489
Affected product: Cisco Ios Xe
Published: 2021-03-24
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with high privileges or an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device to open a debugging console. The vulnerability is due to insufficient command authorization restrictions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by running commands on the hardware platform to open a debugging console. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access a debugging console.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-1381?: A vulnerability in Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker with high privileges or an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device to open a debugging console. The vulnerability is due to insufficient command authorization restrictions. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by running commands on the hardware platform to open a debugging console. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access a debugging console.
How severe is CVE-2021-1381?: CVE-2021-1381 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-1381 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (18th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-1381?: CVE-2021-1381 primarily affects Cisco Ios Xe. In total, 36 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-1381?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-1381 published?: CVE-2021-1381 was published on 2021-03-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-XE-BLKH-Ouvrnf2s

Affected products (36)

cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.11.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.11.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.11.1b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.11.1c:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.11.1s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.11.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1c:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1t:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1y:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1z:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.1za:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.2a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.2s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.2t:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.3a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.3s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:16.12.4a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.1.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.1.1s:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.1.1t:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.2.1a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.2.1r:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.2.1v:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe:17.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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