CVE-2015-0726 in Wireless LAN Controller
Summary
by MITRE
The web administration interface on Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) devices before 7.0.241, 7.1.x through 7.4.x before 7.4.122, and 7.5.x and 7.6.x before 7.6.120 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (device crash) via unspecified parameters, aka Bug IDs CSCum65159 and CSCum65252.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/03/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0726 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Cisco Wireless LAN Controller devices that affects multiple software versions including those prior to 7.0.241, 7.1.x through 7.4.x before 7.4.122, and 7.5.x and 7.6.x before 7.6.120. This weakness exists within the web administration interface of these wireless controllers, making it accessible to remote authenticated attackers who can exploit it to crash the device. The vulnerability was documented under Bug IDs CSCum65159 and CSCum65252, indicating the severity and the specific nature of the flaw in the device's management interface.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves sending specially crafted parameters through the web administration interface to the affected WLC devices. This flaw stems from inadequate input validation and error handling mechanisms within the web interface code, allowing authenticated users to manipulate the system through unspecified parameters that trigger unexpected behavior in the device's processing routines. The vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions where data is written beyond the boundaries of a fixed-length buffer, and potentially relates to CWE-20, which covers improper input validation scenarios that can lead to system instability. The root cause typically involves insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data within the web administration components, enabling attackers to inject malformed parameters that cause memory corruption or resource exhaustion.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-0726 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire wireless infrastructure managed by the affected controllers. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability can cause complete device crashes requiring manual intervention and system restarts, leading to significant downtime for wireless network services. Organizations relying on Cisco WLC devices for enterprise wireless connectivity face substantial risk of network outages, particularly in mission-critical environments where continuous wireless access is essential. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access to the devices, and the authenticated requirement reduces the barrier to exploitation, as attackers only need valid credentials rather than privileged access. This vulnerability can be leveraged as part of broader attack campaigns targeting enterprise wireless networks, potentially serving as a stepping stone for more advanced persistent threats.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected devices to the latest software versions that contain the necessary security fixes. Cisco released patches addressing this issue in versions 7.0.241, 7.4.122, and 7.6.120, making it essential for organizations to implement these updates as soon as possible. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the number of users with administrative privileges to the web interface, reducing the attack surface. Monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly around authentication and configuration change events. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.002, which involves network denial of service attacks, and represents a significant concern for organizations following the NIST cybersecurity framework where maintaining system availability and resilience is critical. Additionally, implementing network access control lists and firewall rules that restrict access to the web administration interface from trusted networks only can provide an additional layer of defense against unauthorized exploitation attempts.