CVE-2026-76741 in AOS-Switch
Summary
by MITRE • 10/06/2026
Buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in the affected interface of AOS-S. Successful exploitation could allow an authenticated remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service condition on the affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2026
The identified vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow flaw located within the application programming interfaces exposed by ArubaOS-Switch, commonly referred to as AOS-S. This type of memory corruption error typically arises when software writes more data to a fixed-length block of memory than it is designed to hold. In this specific context, the affected interface fails to adequately validate or bound-check input parameters before copying them into internal buffers. While buffer overflows are frequently associated with arbitrary code execution and privilege escalation in many modern contexts, the primary consequence observed here is limited to system stability rather than full remote code execution capabilities. This distinction suggests that either the memory layout does not allow for control of critical pointers such as return addresses or instruction pointers, or that mitigations like stack canaries are effectively preventing exploitation beyond a simple crash scenario.
From an operational perspective, the most significant impact of this vulnerability is the potential for a denial-of-service condition against the affected network infrastructure. Because successful exploitation leads to a system crash or service interruption, attackers who have valid authentication credentials on the device could trigger these crashes repeatedly. This creates a persistent availability risk where legitimate administrators and users are unable to access management interfaces or utilize switching services. The requirement for an authenticated remote attacker means that this vulnerability cannot be exploited by unauthenticated external threats over the internet unless there is a separate credential compromise, but it poses a severe internal threat from malicious insiders or compromised accounts within the local network segment.
This flaw aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-120, which describes buffer copy without checking size limits, and more specifically relates to CWE-787, an out-of-bounds write that leads to memory corruption. In terms of tactical classification under the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability facilitates actions categorized under Initial Access if used for credential abuse or Defense Evasion through system disruption, but primarily it falls under Impact categories related to Denial of Service. The attacker leverages their existing access privileges to disrupt service availability rather than gaining further control over the operating system kernel or user space processes beyond what is already permitted by their account level.
Mitigation strategies should focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary defense is the application of vendor-provided software patches that address the input validation logic within the affected interface functions. Administrators must ensure that all ArubaOS-Switch devices are updated to versions where this memory handling error has been corrected. Additionally, since authentication is a prerequisite for exploitation, enforcing strict access control policies is critical. This includes implementing multi-factor authentication for management interfaces, restricting administrative access to trusted IP ranges via firewall rules or network segmentation, and regularly auditing user accounts to remove unnecessary privileges. Monitoring logs for unusual patterns of failed login attempts followed by service disruptions can also help in detecting potential exploitation attempts early.