CVE-2023-20003 in Wireless Access Point
Summary
by MITRE • 05/18/2023
A vulnerability in the social login configuration option for the guest users of Cisco Business Wireless Access Points (APs) could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to bypass social login authentication. This vulnerability is due to a logic error with the social login implementation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by attempting to authenticate to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access the Guest Portal without authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/15/2025
This vulnerability exists within Cisco Business Wireless Access Points where the social login configuration for guest users contains a critical logic flaw that undermines the authentication process. The weakness specifically affects the guest portal functionality that relies on social login mechanisms to verify user identity before granting network access. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of authentication states within the wireless access point's firmware implementation, creating an exploitable condition that allows unauthorized access to guest network resources.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through an adjacent network position where an attacker can interact with the affected wireless access point without requiring prior authentication. The logic error in the social login implementation creates a path where authentication bypass is possible, enabling attackers to gain access to the guest portal interface directly. This flaw represents a fundamental failure in the access control mechanism, allowing unauthenticated users to traverse the normal authentication flow and access guest network resources that should require valid social login credentials.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security implications for organizations relying on Cisco Business Wireless Access Points for guest network access. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as it potentially allows attackers to leverage the guest portal for further network exploration, data exfiltration, or as a stepping stone for additional attacks within the network perimeter. The vulnerability affects the core authentication integrity of the wireless access point, undermining the security controls that organizations implement to manage guest access and maintain network segmentation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software implementations, and reflects patterns commonly seen in authentication bypass flaws within network infrastructure devices. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to utilize techniques from the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and initial access phases, potentially enabling them to establish persistent network presence through guest network access points. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation controls and monitoring for unusual access patterns to detect exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate firmware updates from Cisco to address the specific logic error in the social login implementation. Network administrators should also implement additional access controls such as MAC address filtering, captive portal restrictions, and enhanced monitoring of guest network access attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper authentication flow validation in network infrastructure devices and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of authentication mechanisms before deployment in production environments.