CVE-2015-1391
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2015-1391 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Aruba AirWave network management software that allows attackers to bypass CSRF protection mechanisms. This enables malicious actors to trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions on the AirWave management interface. Organizations running Aruba AirWave versions before 8.0.7 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Aruba AirWave Network Management Platform
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could gain administrative control over the AirWave management system, potentially compromising the entire managed network infrastructure including wireless controllers, access points, and network policies.
Likely Case
Attackers could modify network configurations, create backdoor accounts, change security policies, or redirect network traffic through malicious gateways.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and access controls, impact would be limited to the AirWave management system itself, though configuration changes could still affect managed devices.
🎯 Exploit Status
CSRF attacks are relatively simple to execute. Requires the victim to be authenticated to AirWave and visit a malicious website or click a malicious link.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 8.0.7 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/alert/ARUBA-PSA-2015-005.txt
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download AirWave 8.0.7 or later from Aruba support portal. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Apply the update via the AirWave web interface or CLI. 4. Restart the AirWave appliance as prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement CSRF Tokens Manually
allAdd custom CSRF protection to AirWave web interface using web application firewall or proxy rules
Network Segmentation
linuxIsolate AirWave management interface from user networks and restrict access to trusted IPs only
# Example firewall rule to restrict access
# iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s trusted_ip_range -j ACCEPT
# iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict SameSite cookie policies and Content Security Policy headers
- Use browser extensions that block CSRF attempts and educate users about phishing risks
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check AirWave version via web interface (Admin → System → About) or CLI command 'show version'Check Version:
show versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 8.0.7 or higher and test CSRF protection by attempting to submit forms without valid tokens📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations
- Unusual configuration changes from unexpected user sessions
- Administrative actions from non-standard IP addresses
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to AirWave without Referer headers or CSRF tokens
- Traffic from user workstations to AirWave following visits to external websites
SIEM Query:
source="airwave.log" AND ("CSRF token invalid" OR "invalid authenticity token")