CVE-2016-1460 in Wireless LAN Controller
Summary
by MITRE
Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) devices 7.4(121.0) and 8.0(0.30220.385) allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted wireless management frames, aka Bug ID CSCun92979.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2016-1460 affects Cisco Wireless LAN Controller devices running specific software versions, creating a remote denial of service condition through manipulation of wireless management frames. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in enterprise wireless infrastructure that can be exploited without authentication, allowing attackers to disrupt network operations and potentially impact business continuity. The vulnerability specifically targets the processing of crafted wireless management frames within the WLC software implementation, demonstrating a fundamental flaw in input validation and frame handling mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the WLC device receives specially crafted wireless management frames that trigger an improper handling routine within the wireless management subsystem. This improper handling leads to a system crash or restart, effectively causing a denial of service condition that impacts wireless network availability. The vulnerability is classified as a buffer overflow or memory corruption issue within the wireless management frame processing code, where the device fails to properly validate or sanitize incoming management frames before processing them. This type of flaw commonly maps to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, or CWE-122, which covers stack-based buffer overflow scenarios, depending on the specific implementation details of the memory corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it affects the core wireless infrastructure of enterprise networks. Organizations relying on Cisco WLC devices for wireless connectivity face potential business disruption when attackers exploit this vulnerability, as wireless access points become unavailable and users lose network connectivity. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can target these devices from outside the network perimeter, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed wireless infrastructure. Network availability and user productivity suffer significant impact as wireless services become unavailable, potentially affecting critical business operations that depend on wireless connectivity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate software patching to address the underlying buffer overflow condition in the WLC management frame processing. Organizations should prioritize updating their Cisco WLC devices to versions that contain the security fixes provided by Cisco, as the vendor released patches specifically addressing this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access control measures can provide additional protection by limiting direct access to wireless management interfaces from untrusted networks. Monitoring network traffic for suspicious wireless management frames and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following security best practices such as keeping all network infrastructure components updated and implementing proper network access controls to minimize exposure to remote exploitation. This case demonstrates how vulnerabilities in wireless infrastructure components can have cascading effects on enterprise network operations and underscores the critical need for maintaining secure wireless network implementations.