CVE-2021-1280: Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Endpoints and Immunet for Windows DLL Hijacking Vulnerability

Severity: high (CVSS 7.3 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2021-01-20 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-427

Description

A vulnerability in the loading mechanism of specific DLLs of Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints for Windows and Immunet for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform a DLL hijacking attack. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need valid credentials on the Windows system. This vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of directory search paths at run time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by placing a malicious DLL file on the targeted system. This file will execute when the vulnerable application launches. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system with SYSTEM privileges.

Affected products

Cisco AMP for Endpoints: before 7.3.3 — fixed in 7.3.3
Cisco Immunet: before 7.3.12 — fixed in 7.3.12

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Cisco AMP for Endpoints 7.3.3; Cisco Immunet 7.3.12. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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