CVE-2021-1572
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.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| cisco / confd | 7.4 | 7.4.3.x |
| cisco / confd | 7.5 | 7.5.2.x |
| cisco / network_services_orchestrator | 5.5 | 5.5.2.2.x |
| cisco / network_services_orchestrator | 5.4 | 5.4.3.1.x |
Deep Security Visibility Without the Complexity
SynScan provides clear, real-time security insights so you can monitor your attack surface, spot risks early, and act fast—without extra complexity.
- No setup fees
- 5-min deployment
- Cancel anytime
Frequently Asked Questions
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.