CVE-2026-76745 in AOS-Switch
Summary
by MITRE • 10/06/2026
Memory corruption vulnerabilities exist in AOS-S that are reachable by an unauthenticated adjacent attacker. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2026
The vulnerability described represents a critical security flaw within the Aruba Operating System for Switches, commonly referred to as AOS-S. This class of defect is categorized fundamentally as a memory corruption issue, which encompasses various sub-types such as buffer overflows, use-after-free errors, or heap corruption depending on the specific implementation details not fully detailed in the summary but implied by the severity and exploitability vector. The presence of such vulnerabilities indicates that there are insufficient bounds checks or improper handling of data structures within the network device's firmware, allowing external inputs to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This is a severe deviation from secure coding practices where input validation and memory management must be strictly enforced to prevent unauthorized manipulation of system resources.
The attack vector for this vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication and can be executed by an attacker who is merely adjacent to the target device on the network segment. Adjacent attackers typically have access to Layer 2 connectivity, meaning they could be a compromised host on the same LAN or VLAN, or potentially someone with physical access to switch ports within the local infrastructure. This low barrier to entry significantly increases the risk surface for organizations relying on AOS-S devices, as traditional perimeter defenses like firewalls may not inspect traffic at this level if it is internal and trusted. The ability to exploit this flaw without credentials means that any device connected to the same broadcast domain can potentially trigger the vulnerability, making lateral movement within a network segment highly feasible once initial access is gained through other means or via direct physical connection.
Successful exploitation of this memory corruption flaw leads directly to arbitrary code execution on the affected switch. In the context of network infrastructure, gaining control over a switch provides an attacker with profound capabilities that extend far beyond simple data interception. The attacker can manipulate routing tables, redirect traffic through malicious nodes for man-in-the-middle attacks, disable security features such as port security or DHCP snooping, and potentially pivot to other critical systems on the internal network. This aligns closely with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to initial access via vulnerable services and lateral movement using compromised infrastructure components. The impact is not limited to confidentiality but also severely compromises integrity and availability of the entire network segment dependent on that switch.
From a standards perspective, this vulnerability likely maps to CWE-120 Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input or similar memory safety violations depending on whether it involves stack or heap corruption. It may also relate to CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write if specific offsets are manipulated. The exploitation path reflects common patterns seen in embedded systems where complex protocol parsers fail to validate packet lengths or structure integrity before processing, leading to buffer overflows that overwrite return addresses or function pointers on the stack, thereby hijacking control flow.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching of the AOS-S firmware to versions released by Aruba Networks after this vulnerability was identified and addressed. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit Layer 2 adjacency between untrusted devices and critical infrastructure switches. Deploying intrusion detection systems capable of detecting anomalous packet patterns associated with memory corruption exploits can provide an additional layer of defense in depth. Furthermore, enabling strict port security features such as DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection, and IP Source Guard helps mitigate the risk of adjacent attackers leveraging this vulnerability by restricting which devices can send specific types of traffic to the switch management plane or data forwarding engine. Regular audits of network topology and access controls are essential to ensure that only authorized endpoints have connectivity to critical switching infrastructure.