How severe is CVE-2021-1438?

CVE-2021-1438 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2021-1438 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (15th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-1438?

CVE-2021-1438 affects Cisco Wide Area Application Services. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-1438?

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

When was CVE-2021-1438 published?

CVE-2021-1438 was published on 2021-05-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-1438

CVE-2021-1438 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Wide Area Application Services with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-668.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (15th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-668
Affected product: Cisco Wide Area Application Services
Published: 2021-05-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain access to sensitive information on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper input validation and authorization of specific commands that a user can execute within the CLI. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to an affected device and issuing a specific set of commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read arbitrary files that they originally did not have permissions to access.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-1438?: A vulnerability in Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain access to sensitive information on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to improper input validation and authorization of specific commands that a user can execute within the CLI. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to an affected device and issuing a specific set of commands. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read arbitrary files that they originally did not have permissions to access.
How severe is CVE-2021-1438?: CVE-2021-1438 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-1438 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (15th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-1438?: CVE-2021-1438 affects Cisco Wide Area Application Services. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-1438?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-1438 published?: CVE-2021-1438 was published on 2021-05-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-waas-infdisc-Twb4EypK

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:cisco:wide_area_application_services:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Cisco Wide Area Application Services

CVE-2013-3443 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The web service framework in Cisco WAAS Software 4.x and 5.x before 5.0.3e, 5.1.x before 5.1.1c, and 5.2.x before 5.2.1…
CVE-2014-2196 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) 5.1.1 before 5.1.1e, when SharePoint prefetch optimization is enabled,…
CVE-2013-3444 — Critical (CVSS 9.0): The web framework in Cisco WAAS Software before 4.x and 5.x before 5.0.3e, 5.1.x before 5.1.1c, and 5.2.x before 5.2.1;…
CVE-2007-3923 — High (CVSS 7.8): The Common Internet File System (CIFS) optimization in Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) 4.0.7 and 4.0.9, as…
CVE-2015-6421 — High (CVSS 7.5): cifs-ao in the CIFS optimization functionality on Cisco Wide Area Application Service (WAAS) and Virtual WAAS (vWAAS)…
CVE-2017-6628 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): A vulnerability in SMART-SSL Accelerator functionality for Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) 6.2.1, 6.2.1a,…

All CVEs affecting Cisco Wide Area Application Services →

Other CWE-668 (Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-2857 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Following the recent Chrome sandbox escape (CVE-2025-2783), various Firefox developers identified a similar pattern in…
CVE-2019-8779 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A logic issue applied the incorrect restrictions. This issue was addressed by updating the logic to apply the correct…
CVE-2012-1846 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Google Chrome 17.0.963.66 and earlier allows remote attackers to bypass the sandbox protection mechanism by leveraging…
CVE-2022-43684 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): ServiceNow has released patches and an upgrade that address an Access Control List (ACL) bypass issue in ServiceNow…
CVE-2022-24900 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): Piano LED Visualizer is software that allows LED lights to light up as a person plays a piano connected to a computer.…
CVE-2019-16541 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): Jenkins JIRA Plugin 3.0.10 and earlier does not declare the correct (folder) scope for per-folder Jira site…

Browse all CWE-668 (Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) vulnerabilities →