CVE-2010-2841 in Wireless LAN Controller Software
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) software 4.2 before 4.2.209.0; 4.2M before 4.2.207.54M; 5.0, 5.1, and 6.0 before 6.0.196.0; and 5.2 before 5.2.193.11 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (device reload) via crafted HTTP packets that trigger invalid arguments to the emweb component, aka Bug ID CSCtd16938.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-2841 represents a critical denial of service weakness affecting Cisco Wireless LAN Controller software across multiple versions including 4.2.x, 4.2M, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, and 6.0 releases. This issue specifically targets the emweb component within the wireless controller software stack, which serves as the web-based management interface for configuring and monitoring wireless networks. The vulnerability manifests when authenticated remote attackers send specially crafted HTTP packets to the affected systems, leading to device reload operations that effectively disrupt wireless network services. This flaw falls under the category of input validation issues and can be classified as a CWE-20 vulnerability, representing improper input validation that allows attackers to manipulate system behavior through malformed data processing.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP request parameters that are processed by the emweb component, which acts as the web server interface for the wireless controller. When the system receives these crafted HTTP packets containing invalid arguments, the emweb component fails to properly validate the input data, causing the system to crash and subsequently reload. The attack requires only authenticated access to the web interface, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users with legitimate credentials who may have been compromised or by attackers who have gained access to valid accounts. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability of wireless network services by forcing the wireless controller to restart, which results in temporary loss of wireless connectivity for all connected devices and disruption of network operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-2841 extends beyond simple service disruption as it affects the reliability and uptime of wireless infrastructure critical to enterprise network operations. When a wireless controller experiences a reload due to this vulnerability, all wireless clients lose connectivity immediately, requiring users to reconnect to the wireless network and potentially disrupting ongoing business operations. Network administrators may experience significant operational challenges as the system becomes unavailable during the reload process, potentially affecting mission-critical applications that depend on wireless connectivity. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to perform repeated denial of service attacks, potentially leading to sustained network outages that can impact productivity and customer service delivery. This issue particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on wireless infrastructure for their operations, including healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and enterprise environments where wireless connectivity is essential for business continuity.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that address this vulnerability, as Cisco released specific fixes for affected software versions. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit authentication access to the wireless controller web interface, reducing the attack surface available to potential exploiters. Monitoring and logging of web interface access should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of HTTP requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing proper network hygiene practices to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques related to privilege escalation and denial of service operations, as it leverages authenticated access to cause system instability and service disruption. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for the specific patterns of HTTP traffic that could indicate exploitation attempts of this vulnerability.