A vulnerability in ConfD could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary commands at the level of the account under which ConfD is running, which is commonly root. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have a valid account on an affected device. The vulnerability exists because the affected software incorrectly runs the SFTP user service at the privilege level of the account that was running when the ConfD built-in Secure Shell (SSH) server for CLI was enabled. If the ConfD built-in SSH server was not enabled, the device is not affected by this vulnerability. An attacker with low-level privileges could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to an affected device and issuing a series of commands at the SFTP interface. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to elevate privileges to the level of the account under which ConfD is running, which is commonly root. Note: Any user who can authenticate to the built-in SSH server may exploit this vulnerability. By default, all ConfD users have this access if the server is enabled. Software updates that address this vulnerability have been released.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from cisco, from cisco organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2021, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2021-08-04T18:15:08.470
2026-06-17T03:32:04.877
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
3.4
10.0
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | cisco | confd | ≤ 7.4.3 | Yes |
| Application | cisco | confd | ≤ 7.5.2 | Yes |
| Application | cisco | network_services_orchestrator | ≤ 5.4.3.1 | Yes |
| Application | cisco | network_services_orchestrator | ≤ 5.5.2.2 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For cisco's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.