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.

References

• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-1449
• https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ap-privesc-wEVfp8Ud