CVE-2021-1488
CVE-2021-1488 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7. 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-78.
Key facts
- Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.7)
- CVSS v2: 7.2
- EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (17th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-78
- Affected product: Cisco Firepower Threat Defense
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
A vulnerability in the upgrade process of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to inject commands that could be executed with root privileges on the underlying operating system (OS). This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a crafted upgrade package file to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to inject commands that could be executed with root privileges on the underlying OS.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-1488?
- A vulnerability in the upgrade process of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to inject commands that could be executed with root privileges on the underlying operating system (OS). This vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a crafted upgrade package file to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to inject commands that could be executed with root privileges on the underlying OS.
- How severe is CVE-2021-1488?
- CVE-2021-1488 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2021-1488 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (17th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2021-1488?
- CVE-2021-1488 primarily affects Cisco Firepower Threat Defense. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2021-1488?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- When was CVE-2021-1488 published?
- CVE-2021-1488 was published on 2021-04-29 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
Affected products (2)
- cpe:2.3:a:cisco:firepower_threat_defense:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:cisco:adaptive_security_appliance_software:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense
- CVE-2021-44228 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Apache Log4j2 2.0-beta9 through 2.15.0 (excluding security releases 2.12.2, 2.12.3, and 2.3.1) JNDI features used in…
- CVE-2018-0101 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability in the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPN functionality of the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA)…
- CVE-2025-20333 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): A vulnerability in the VPN web server of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco…
- CVE-2024-20412 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): A vulnerability in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software for Cisco Firepower 1000, 2100, 3100, and 4200 Series…
- CVE-2020-3187 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): A vulnerability in the web services interface of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower…
- CVE-2025-20363 — Critical (CVSS 9.0): A vulnerability in the web services of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software, Cisco Secure…
All CVEs affecting Cisco Firepower Threat Defense →
Other CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) vulnerabilities
- CVE-2026-56004 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A shellcode injection in the mercurial handler of the obs tar_scm source service before version 0.12.4 could be used by…
- CVE-2026-56415 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Storage Concentrator (SC & SCVM) contains a command injection vulnerability within the debug.pl script that is…
- CVE-2026-56413 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Storage Concentrator (SC & SCVM) contains a command injection vulnerability in the ms_service.pl service, which listens…
- CVE-2026-49869 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform. Prior to 1.0.45 and 1.3.21, AuthenticationFilter in…
- CVE-2026-49261 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. Versions 10.6.1 through 10.6.26, 10.11.1 through…
- CVE-2026-10520 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An OS Command Injection vulnerability in Ivanti Sentry before the R10.5.2, R10.6.2 and R10.7.1 versions allows a…