CVE-2021-34727: Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Plan (action score 40/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 2.6% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 85.6% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
Add it to your regular patch cycle. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
A vulnerability in the vDaemon process in Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buffer overflow on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient bounds checking when an affected device processes traffic. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted traffic to the device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a buffer overflow and possibly execute arbitrary commands with root-level privileges, or cause the device to reload, which could result in a denial of service condition.
- Published
- Sep 22, 2021
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 2.6% · 85th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-120
Report tools
Action score
40
Plan
Add it to your regular patch cycle.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 2.6%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 9.8
- CNA · cisco
- 9.8
- agree
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- No fixed version yet
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| cisco | ios xe sd-wan | cpe:2.3:o:cisco:ios_xe_sd-wan |
| cisco | 1000 integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1000_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1100-4g\/6g integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1100-4g\/6g_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1100-4p integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1100-4p_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1100-8p integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1100-8p_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1100 integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1100_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1101-4p integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1101-4p_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1101 integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1101_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1109-2p integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1109-2p_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1109-4p integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1109-4p_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1109 integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1109_integrated_services_router |
| cisco | 1111x-8p integrated services router | cpe:2.3:h:cisco:1111x-8p_integrated_services_router |
and 37 more
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- cisco ios xe sd-wanall versions
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (cisco). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Cisco Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software
- n/aaffected
Same product
cisco: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2025-20352A vulnerability in the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) subsystem of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco IOS XE Software could allow the fKEV72This week
- CVE-2021-1301Cisco SD-WAN Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities40Plan
- CVE-2021-1300Cisco SD-WAN Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities40Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2021-34724Sep 22, 2021 · Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Privilege Escalation Vulnerability24Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2021-34725Sep 22, 2021 · Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Command Injection Vulnerability26Monitor
- Later →CVE-2023-20035Mar 23, 2023 · Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software Command Injection Vulnerability31Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-120 · Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
When data is copied, the source length is not compared with the size of the destination buffer. Excess data overwrites adjacent memory.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-120 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
char buf[256];
memcpy(buf, pkt->data, pkt->len);Fixed
char buf[256];
if (pkt->len > sizeof(buf)) {
return -EINVAL;
}
memcpy(buf, pkt->data, pkt->len);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Overflow BuffersCAPEC-100likelihood: High · Very High
- Client-side Injection-induced Buffer OverflowCAPEC-14likelihood: Medium · High
- Filter Failure through Buffer OverflowCAPEC-24likelihood: High · High
- MIME ConversionCAPEC-42likelihood: High · High
- Overflow Binary Resource FileCAPEC-44likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer Overflow via Symbolic LinksCAPEC-45likelihood: High · High
- Overflow Variables and TagsCAPEC-46likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-iosxesdwan-rbuffover-vE2OB6tp
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.