Summary

• A vulnerability in the CLI command permissions of Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to retrieve the password for Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and then remotely configure the device as an administrative user.

  This vulnerability exists because incorrect permissions are associated with the show cip security CLI command. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by issuing the command to retrieve the password for CIP on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to reconfigure the device.

  Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

  This advisory is available at the following link:
  https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-XE-SAP-OPLbze68

  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.

Affected Products

• Vulnerable Products

  This vulnerability affects Cisco devices if they are running a vulnerable release of Cisco IOS or Cisco IOS XE Software and have CIP enabled.

  CIP is not enabled by default.

  For information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.

  Determine Whether CIP Is Enabled

  To determine whether CIP is enabled on a device, issue the show cip status command and check the State: value. The following example shows that CIP is enabled for VLAN 1:

  Router> show cip status
  State : Enabled
  Vlan : 1

  If the command returns no output or returns an error message, as shown in the following example, the device is not affected by this vulnerability: 

  Router> show cip status
               ^
  % Invalid input detected at '^' marker.

   

  Products Confirmed Not Vulnerable

  Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.

  Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect the following Cisco products:

  • IOS XR Software
  • NX-OS Software

Workarounds

• There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. However, mitigations are available:

  • Disabling the CIP feature eliminates the attack vector for this vulnerability and may be a suitable mitigation until affected devices can be upgraded. To disable the CIP feature, use the no cip enable command in the interface configuration mode for the VLAN that CIP is currently enabled on.
  • For devices that are configured with TACACS+ authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) command authorization, use this feature to give non-administrative users access to the commands that they require and deny access to all other commands.

  While these mitigations have been deployed and were proven successful in a test environment, customers should determine the applicability and effectiveness in their own environment and under their own use conditions. Customers should be aware that any workaround or mitigation that is implemented may negatively impact the functionality or performance of their network based on intrinsic customer deployment scenarios and limitations. Customers should not deploy any workarounds or mitigations before first evaluating the applicability to their own environment and any impact to such environment.

Fixed Software

• Cisco has released free software updates that address the vulnerability described in this advisory. Customers may only install and expect support for software versions and feature sets for which they have purchased a license. By installing, downloading, accessing, or otherwise using such software upgrades, customers agree to follow the terms of the Cisco software license:
  https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/end-user-license-agreement.html

  Additionally, customers may only download software for which they have a valid license, procured from Cisco directly, or through a Cisco authorized reseller or partner. In most cases this will be a maintenance upgrade to software that was previously purchased. Free security software updates do not entitle customers to a new software license, additional software feature sets, or major revision upgrades.

  When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories page, to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.

  In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.

  Customers Without Service Contracts

  Customers who purchase directly from Cisco but do not hold a Cisco service contract and customers who make purchases through third-party vendors but are unsuccessful in obtaining fixed software through their point of sale should obtain upgrades by contacting the Cisco TAC: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/web/tsd-cisco-worldwide-contacts.html

  Customers should have the product serial number available and be prepared to provide the URL of this advisory as evidence of entitlement to a free upgrade.

  Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software

  To help customers determine their exposure to vulnerabilities in Cisco IOS and IOS XE Software, Cisco provides the Cisco Software Checker to identify any Cisco Security Advisories that impact a specific software release and the earliest release that fixes the vulnerabilities described in each advisory (“First Fixed”). If applicable, the tool also returns the earliest release that fixes all the vulnerabilities described in all the advisories identified (“Combined First Fixed”).

  Customers can use the Cisco Software Checker to search advisories in the following ways:

  • Choose the software and one or more releases
  • Upload a .txt file that includes a list of specific releases
  • Enter the output of the show version command

  After initiating a search, customers can customize the search to include all Cisco Security Advisories, a specific advisory, or all advisories in the most recent bundled publication.

  Customers can also use the following form to determine whether a release is affected by any Cisco Security Advisory by entering a Cisco IOS or IOS XE Software release—for example, 15.1(4)M2 or 3.13.8S:

  By default, the Cisco Software Checker includes results only for vulnerabilities that have a Critical or High Security Impact Rating (SIR). To include results for Medium SIR vulnerabilities, customers can use the Cisco Software Checker on Cisco.com and check the Medium check box in the drop-down list under Impact Rating when customizing a search.

  For a mapping of Cisco IOS XE Software releases to Cisco IOS Software releases, refer to the Cisco IOS XE 2 Release Notes, Cisco IOS XE 3S Release Notes, or Cisco IOS XE 3SG Release Notes, depending on the Cisco IOS XE Software release.

Exploitation and Public Announcements

• The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.

Source

• This vulnerability was found during internal security testing by X.B. of the Cisco Advanced Security Initiatives Group (ASIG).

URL

• https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-XE-SAP-OPLbze68

Revision History

• Version	Description	Section	Status	Date
  1.0	Initial public release.	—	Final	2021-MAR-24

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