CVE-2018-0226 in Aironet 1800
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the assignment and management of default user accounts for Secure Shell (SSH) access to Cisco Aironet 1800, 2800, and 3800 Series Access Points that are running Cisco Mobility Express Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to gain elevated privileges on an affected access point. The vulnerability exists because the Cisco Mobility Express controller of the affected software configures the default SSH user account for an access point to be the first SSH user account that was created for the Mobility Express controller, if an administrator added user accounts directly to the controller instead of using the default configuration or the SSH username creation wizard. Although the user account has read-only privileges for the Mobility Express controller, the account could have administrative privileges for an associated access point. An attacker who has valid user credentials for an affected controller could exploit this vulnerability by using the default SSH user account to authenticate to an affected access point via SSH. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to log in to the affected access point with administrative privileges and perform arbitrary administrative actions. This vulnerability affects the following Cisco products: Aironet 1800 Series Access Points that are running Cisco Mobility Express Software Releases 8.2.121.0 through 8.5.105.0, Aironet 2800 Series Access Points that are running Cisco Mobility Express Software Releases 8.3.102.0 through 8.5.105.0, Aironet 3800 Series Access Points that are running Cisco Mobility Express Software Releases 8.3.102.0 through 8.5.105.0. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCva68116.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2023
This vulnerability resides in the insecure default user account configuration mechanism within Cisco Mobility Express Software running on various Aironet access point series. The flaw stems from how the system manages SSH user account assignments when administrators directly add accounts to the controller rather than using the designated configuration processes. According to the Cisco bug ID CSCva68116, the vulnerability manifests when the Mobility Express controller automatically assigns the first SSH user account created for the controller as the default SSH account for associated access points, creating a potential privilege escalation pathway.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a misconfiguration in the access control model where user accounts created directly on the controller inherit administrative privileges for connected access points despite having only read-only permissions on the controller itself. This represents a classic case of privilege escalation through improper account management, where the default SSH user account configuration bypasses normal security boundaries. The vulnerability specifically affects the SSH authentication mechanism and demonstrates poor privilege separation between controller and access point management functions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables authenticated remote attackers to escalate their privileges from read-only controller access to full administrative control of affected access points. The attacker can exploit this by leveraging valid credentials to establish SSH sessions with administrative privileges on the access points, allowing arbitrary administrative actions including configuration changes, firmware updates, or network disruption. This represents a significant security risk in wireless network environments where access point compromise could lead to complete network infiltration and data exfiltration.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which covers improper privilege management, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1068, privilege escalation through credential access. Organizations running affected Cisco Mobility Express software versions 8.2.121.0 through 8.5.105.0 across Aironet 1800, 2800, and 3800 series access points face potential compromise of their wireless infrastructure. The risk is elevated when administrators bypass standard configuration procedures and manually create user accounts on the controller. Mitigation strategies should include immediate software upgrades to patched versions, implementation of proper account management policies, and enforcement of the recommended SSH username creation wizard processes. Network segmentation and monitoring of SSH access attempts can also provide additional defensive layers against exploitation of this vulnerability.