CVE-2020-24632 in AirWave
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2020
A remote execution of arbitrary commandss vulnerability was discovered in Aruba Airwave Software version(s): Prior to 1.3.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-24632 represents a critical remote command execution flaw within Aruba Airwave Software, a network management platform designed for wireless network monitoring and control. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.3.2 and exposes systems to potential exploitation by remote attackers who can execute arbitrary commands on affected devices. The flaw resides in the software's handling of user input within specific administrative functions, creating a pathway for malicious actors to gain unauthorized access and control over network infrastructure. The vulnerability's severity is compounded by the fact that it operates without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network administrators rely on Airwave for critical infrastructure management.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the software's web interface components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that bypass authentication mechanisms and are subsequently executed by the underlying operating system. The flaw typically manifests through specially crafted HTTP requests that contain command injection patterns, allowing unauthorized users to execute system commands with the privileges of the affected service account. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 classifications, representing command injection and code injection weaknesses respectively, which are fundamental security flaws in web applications and network management systems. The attack vector operates through the web-based administration interface, making it accessible over standard network protocols without requiring physical access or specialized knowledge of the underlying system architecture.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-24632 extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass complete system compromise and potential network disruption. Successful exploitation can result in data exfiltration, system modification, and the establishment of persistent backdoors within the network infrastructure. Network administrators may experience unauthorized changes to wireless network configurations, potentially leading to service outages or unauthorized access to network resources. The vulnerability's presence in network management software creates a particularly dangerous scenario where attackers can manipulate the very tools used to monitor and control network security. This creates a cascading effect where the compromised management system becomes a platform for further attacks against other network components, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1078 for valid accounts. Organizations using affected versions face significant risk of unauthorized network access and potential regulatory compliance violations due to the exposure of critical infrastructure management systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-24632 focus primarily on immediate software updates to version 1.3.2 or later, which contain patches addressing the command injection vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation to isolate Airwave management systems from critical network infrastructure and restrict access through firewall rules to only trusted administrative networks. Additional protective measures include disabling unnecessary administrative interfaces, implementing multi-factor authentication for management access, and conducting comprehensive network monitoring for suspicious command execution patterns. Security teams should also review and audit existing network management practices to ensure that administrative access is properly controlled and monitored. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-77 and its exploitation patterns align with standard security recommendations for preventing command injection attacks, emphasizing the importance of input validation and privilege separation. Organizations should also consider implementing network intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing remote command execution vulnerabilities in network management platforms.