CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2021-1518 — Cisco Firepower Device Manager On-Box security vulnerability

High CVSS 9

A vulnerability in the REST API of Cisco Firepower Device Manager (FDM) On-Box Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system of an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient sanitization of user input on specific REST API commands. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the API subsystem of an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need valid low-privileged user credentials.

Severity
High
CVSS
9 (2.0)
Published
2021-07-22
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-94

Affected products

  • cisco / firepower_device_manager_on-box

Showing 1 representative product identities from 2 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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