Highly exploitable, CVE-2021-1422 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.
Status: Modified
Last updated: 🕠 21 Nov 2024, 05:44 UTC
Originally published on: 🕐 16 Jul 2021, 13:15 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 1223 days
CVSS Release: version 3
ykramarz@cisco.com
Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVE-2021-1422: A vulnerability in the software cryptography module of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker or an unauthenticated attacker in a man-in-the-middle position to cause an unexpected reload of the device that results in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability is due to a logic error in how the software cryptography module handles specific types of decryption errors. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious packets over an established IPsec connection. A successful exploit could cause the device to crash, forcing it to reload. Important: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would not cause a compromise of any encrypted data. Note: This vulnerability affects only Cisco ASA Software Release 9.16.1 and Cisco FTD Software Release 7.0.0.
The exploitability of CVE-2021-1422 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2021-1422 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2021-1422, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2021-1422, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.
EPSS Score: 0.091% (probability of exploit)
EPSS Percentile: 41.45%
(lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 58.55% of others.
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