CVE-2019-5319
📋 TL;DR
A remote buffer overflow vulnerability in Aruba Instant Access Points allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. Affected organizations using vulnerable Aruba IAP versions are at risk of complete system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- Aruba Instant Access Point (IAP)
📦 What is this software?
Instant by Arubanetworks
Instant by Arubanetworks
Instant by Arubanetworks
Instant by Arubanetworks
Instant by Arubanetworks
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to full system compromise, lateral movement within network, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Denial of service causing access point outages and network disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls preventing exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Buffer overflow vulnerabilities typically have low exploitation complexity once details are known.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Aruba Instant 6.4.4.8-4.2.4.18+, 6.5.4.17+, 8.3.0.13+, 8.5.0.7+, 8.6.0.3+
Vendor Advisory: https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/alert/ARUBA-PSA-2021-007.txt
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest firmware from Aruba support portal. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Upload and apply firmware update via web interface or CLI. 4. Reboot access point. 5. Verify version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate access point management interfaces from untrusted networks
Access Control Lists
allRestrict management interface access to trusted IP addresses only
access-list management permit ip <trusted_network> any
access-list management deny ip any any
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected access points in separate VLAN with strict firewall rules
- Disable remote management interfaces and use local console access only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check current firmware version via web interface (System > About) or CLI (show version)Check Version:
show version | include VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version is above vulnerable ranges: 6.4.4.8-4.2.4.18+, 6.5.4.17+, 8.3.0.13+, 8.5.0.7+, 8.6.0.3+📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual buffer overflow errors in system logs
- Multiple failed connection attempts to management interface
- Unexpected process crashes or restarts
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to access point management ports
- Exploit-specific payloads in network traffic
SIEM Query:
source="aruba-iap" AND (event_type="buffer_overflow" OR event_type="crash" OR event_type="exploit_attempt")