CVE-2021-1451

highpriority · track · 40EPSS 0.033 · 89 %ileEURUUS
grimoire priorityP2 · Scheduled
Exploitable?
—
no known exploitation
Likely / severe?
3.32% (89th) EPSS
CVSS 9.3 · high
Is it mine?
108 products
Check your exposure
Who says so?
4 sources
cnnvd · enisa_euvd · fstec_bdu · cisco_csaf

EPSS · scored 2026-10-27

A vulnerability in the Easy Virtual Switching System (VSS) feature of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Switches and Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying Linux operating system of an affected device. The vulnerability is due to incorrect boundary checks of certain values in Easy VSS protocol packets that are destined for an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted Easy VSS protocol packets to UDP port 5500 while the affected device is in a specific state. When the crafted packet is processed, a buffer overflow condition may occur. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition or execute arbitrary code with root privileges on the underlying Linux operating system of the affected device.

01

remediations

Vendor fix, mitigation, or workaround guidance, as published by each source.

A vendor fix is available.

02

cvss

Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.

9.8
010

base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · high–critical · 8.1–9.8

v2.09.3highAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:Cprimary · NVD / NIST USexploitability 8.6 · impact 10
v3.19.8criticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hprimary · NVD / NIST USexploitability 3.9 · impact 5.9
v3.18.1highAV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · FSTEC (BDU) RU
v3.18.1highCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · ENISA EU
v3.18.1highCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · psirt@cisco.com USexploitability 2.2 · impact 5.9
v3.19criticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:Usecondary · CVSS-BT (t0sche)
v3.18.1highCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsecondary · Cisco PSIRT US
03

ssvc

A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalcoordinatorcisa_ssvcUS
04

weaknesses

The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.

CWE-119USCWE-119US
05

affected products (108)

Products and version ranges known to be affected.

showing 20 of 108
06

advisories (1)

Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.

  • cisco-sa-ios-xe-evss-code-exe-8cw5VSvwCisco IOS XE Software Easy Virtual Switching System Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability2021-03-24csaf · cisco_csafUS

    A vulnerability in the Easy Virtual Switching System (VSS) feature of Cisco IOS XE Software for Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Switches and Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying Linux operating system of an affected device. The vulnerability is due to incorrect boundary checks of certain values in Easy VSS protocol packets that are destined for an affected device. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted Easy VSS protocol packets to UDP port 5500 while the affected device is in a specific state. When the crafted packet is processed, a buffer overflow condition may occur. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition or execute arbitrary code with root privileges on the underlying Linux operating system of the affected device. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. This advisory is part of the March 2021 release of the Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication. For a complete list of the advisories and links to them, see Cisco Event Response: March 2021 Semiannual Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software Security Advisory Bundled Publication ["https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/viewErp.x?alertId=ERP-74408"].

07

also known as (4)

Other names and identifiers for this entity.

08

sources

Which sources assert this record, and when.

cnnvdenisa_euvdfstec_bducisco_csafNVDCVE.orgMITRE
published 2021-03-24modified 2026-06-17
09

references (5)

External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.

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