CVE-2014-7998 in Aironet Access Point
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco IOS on Aironet access points, when "dot11 aaa authenticator" debugging is enabled, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a malformed EAP packet, aka Bug ID CSCul15509.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-7998 represents a critical denial of service weakness within Cisco IOS operating systems running on Aironet access points. This flaw specifically manifests when the dot11 aaa authenticator debugging feature is enabled, creating an exploitable condition that remote attackers can leverage to disrupt network operations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the EAP packet processing subsystem, where malformed packets can trigger unexpected behavior in the affected devices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) packets within the wireless authentication framework. When the debugging functionality is active, the system fails to properly validate the structure and content of incoming EAP packets before processing them. This lack of proper sanitization allows attackers to craft specially malformed EAP packets that, when received by the vulnerable access point, cause the device to crash or become unresponsive. The issue is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication credentials, making it accessible to any attacker within wireless range of the affected device.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability can severely compromise network availability and business continuity for organizations relying on Cisco Aironet access points for wireless connectivity. The denial of service condition affects the entire wireless infrastructure, potentially disrupting critical operations, employee productivity, and customer services that depend on wireless network access. Network administrators may experience extended downtime while troubleshooting and applying patches, leading to significant operational costs and service degradation. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can potentially target multiple access points simultaneously, amplifying the impact across larger network deployments.
The weakness aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and specifically relates to the improper handling of malformed network protocol data. This vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.001, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1566.002, which involves spearphishing attacks through wireless networks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling the dot11 aaa authenticator debugging feature when not actively required for troubleshooting, applying the relevant Cisco security patches, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious EAP packet patterns. Network segmentation and intrusion detection systems can provide additional protection layers to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure configuration management and regular security assessments of wireless network infrastructure components to prevent unauthorized access and maintain operational resilience.