CVE-2013-3474 in Wireless LAN Controller
Summary
by MITRE
The Web Administrator Interface on Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) devices allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (device crash) by leveraging membership in the Full Manager managers group, Read Only managers group, or Lobby Ambassador managers group, and sending a request that (1) lacks a parameter value or (2) contains a malformed parameter value, aka Bug IDs CSCuh14313, CSCuh14159, CSCuh14368, and CSCuh14436.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-3474 represents a critical denial of service weakness within Cisco Wireless LAN Controller devices that affects the Web Administrator Interface. This flaw specifically targets the authentication and parameter validation mechanisms of the wireless controller's management interface, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to disrupt service availability. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited by users who already possess legitimate credentials within specific manager groups, making it a significant risk for organizations with proper access controls in place. The affected device types include various models of Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers that implement the web-based management interface, commonly deployed in enterprise wireless networks to manage access points and wireless infrastructure.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the web administration interface of the Cisco WLC devices. When authenticated users belonging to the Full Manager managers group, Read Only managers group, or Lobby Ambassador managers group submit requests containing either missing parameter values or malformed parameter values, the system fails to properly handle these inputs and subsequently crashes or becomes unresponsive. This represents a classic buffer over-read or improper input validation issue that can be categorized under CWE-20, which deals with improper input validation. The flaw manifests when the web interface fails to sanitize or properly validate user-supplied parameters before processing them, leading to a system crash that requires manual intervention to restore normal operations. The vulnerability affects the device's ability to maintain stable operation and can result in complete service disruption for wireless network access.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3474 extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially compromise enterprise wireless network availability and business continuity. Organizations relying on Cisco WLC devices for wireless infrastructure management face significant risk when this vulnerability is exploited, as the denial of service can affect thousands of wireless users simultaneously. The attack vector requires only legitimate authentication credentials within specific manager groups, which means that internal threats or compromised accounts could trigger this vulnerability. This creates a scenario where an attacker with minimal privileges can cause substantial disruption, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access is distributed among multiple personnel. The vulnerability affects not just individual devices but entire wireless network segments, potentially causing cascading failures in organizations that depend heavily on wireless connectivity for business operations. Network administrators may experience extended downtime while troubleshooting and restoring affected systems, leading to productivity losses and potential revenue impact.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening measures. Cisco has released patches and updates to address this specific issue, and organizations should prioritize applying these security updates to all affected WLC devices. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to limit the number of users with access to manager groups, reducing the attack surface. Implementing proper input validation controls and parameter sanitization within the web interface can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from manifesting in the future. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect unusual patterns of requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper access control management and the principle of least privilege, where administrative access should be granted only to users who require specific capabilities. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing can help identify similar weaknesses in other network components, supporting broader security posture improvement efforts. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499, which involves network disruption attacks, and demonstrates how authenticated access can be leveraged to create service availability issues.