Public preview. Built from real public data on November 9, 2026, 5:41 AM UTC.
Securidigm Watch Transportation cyber intel
Home / Items
Vendor advisorySeverity 6.7 medium

Cisco Access Point Software Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

cisco-sa-ap-privesc-wEVfp8Ud · Cisco · March 24, 2021

Summary

A vulnerability in the boot logic of Cisco Access Points Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute unsigned code at boot time. The vulnerability is due to an improper check that is performed by the area of code that manages system startup processes. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying a specific file that is stored on the system, which would allow the attacker to bypass existing protections. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute unsigned code at boot time and bypass the software image verification check part of the secure boot process of an affected device. Note: To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have access to the development shell (devshell) on the device. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

From Cisco (vendor's own words, quoted), quoted as published. Check the source before acting.

What to do

Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability.

Vendor fix or mitigation, quoted from the advisory.

Each CVE in this advisory

CVESeverityKnown exploitedExploit likelihoodWeakness
CVE-2021-14496.7 mediumNo0.3%—

Severity from the advisory (CVSS), known exploitation from CISA's catalog, exploit likelihood from EPSS (next 30 days).

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed
CiscoCisco Aironet Access Point Software——
CiscoCisco Aironet Access Point Software (IOS XE Controller)——

Why it's on these mode pages

  • Maritime: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
  • Pipeline: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
  • Freight rail: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
  • Passenger rail and transit: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
  • Highway and motor carrier: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
  • Postal and parcel: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)

Change history

  1. March 12, 2021: Initial public release.
  2. November 9, 2026: First collected by Watch

Securidigm Scout can match advisories like this one to the equipment on your own network, offline. securidigm.com