CVE-2015-2202 in AirWave
Summary
by MITRE • 09/05/2023
Aruba AirWave before 7.7.14.2 and 8.x before 8.0.7 allows administrative users to escalate privileges to root on the underlying OS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2202 affects Aruba AirWave network management software versions prior to 7.7.14.2 and 8.x versions prior to 8.0.7. This represents a critical privilege escalation flaw that enables administrative users to gain root-level access to the underlying operating system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and improper privilege management within the AirWave application, creating a pathway for authenticated users to elevate their privileges beyond the intended administrative boundaries. Security researchers have classified this issue as a privilege escalation vulnerability that directly undermines the principle of least privilege and could result in complete system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a flaw in how the AirWave application handles user permissions and system access controls. When administrative users interact with certain management functions, the system fails to properly validate or restrict their capabilities, allowing them to execute commands with root privileges. This typically occurs through improper input validation, inadequate session management, or flawed privilege checking mechanisms within the application's core components. The vulnerability specifically targets the operating system level access controls rather than just application-level permissions, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses traditional application security boundaries. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper privilege management, and represents a classic example of insufficient access control.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations relying on Aruba AirWave for network management. Once an attacker successfully exploits this privilege escalation, they gain complete control over the underlying operating system, enabling them to modify system files, install malware, access all network data, and potentially use the compromised system as a pivot point to attack other network segments. The vulnerability affects the entire AirWave infrastructure, including network controllers, access points, and associated management systems. Organizations may face significant compliance violations, data breaches, and operational disruptions if this vulnerability is exploited, as it essentially provides attackers with root-level access to critical network infrastructure. This vulnerability also enables persistent access and can facilitate long-term network infiltration.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions 7.7.14.2 and 8.0.7, which address the privilege escalation flaw through enhanced access controls and proper privilege validation mechanisms. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect suspicious administrative activities, particularly those involving elevated privilege operations. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of administrative user accounts and implement strict access control policies with regular privilege reviews. The implementation of principle of least privilege should be enforced, ensuring that administrative users only possess the minimum necessary permissions to perform their duties. Additionally, organizations should monitor for unusual system activities that might indicate exploitation attempts and maintain detailed logs of administrative operations for forensic analysis. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper access control implementations, as it can be exploited through standard administrative user accounts without requiring special attacker credentials.