CVE-2021-1593: Cisco Packet Tracer for Windows DLL Injection Vulnerability

Severity: high (CVSS 7.3 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2021-08-04 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-427

Description

A vulnerability in Cisco Packet Tracer for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform a DLL injection attack on an affected device. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid credentials on the Windows system. This vulnerability is due to incorrect handling of directory paths at run time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by inserting a configuration file in a specific path on the system, which can cause a malicious DLL file to be loaded when the application starts. A successful exploit could allow an attacker with normal user privileges to execute arbitrary code on the affected system with the privileges of another user’s account.

Affected products

Cisco Network Academy Packet Tracer: 7.2.0, 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.3.0, 7.3.1, 8.0

References

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