CVE-2021-25149
📋 TL;DR
A remote buffer overflow vulnerability in Aruba Instant Access Points allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by sending specially crafted packets. This affects Aruba IAP devices running vulnerable versions of Instant OS. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication.
💻 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
Complete compromise of the access point leading to network infiltration, data interception, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Denial of service causing access point crashes and network disruption, potentially leading to temporary network outages.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls preventing external exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Buffer overflow vulnerabilities typically have low exploitation complexity, especially when remote and unauthenticated.
🛠️ 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 the patched firmware from Aruba support portal. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Upload and install the patched firmware through the web interface or CLI. 4. Reboot the access point. 5. Verify the new version is running.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate Aruba IAPs from untrusted networks and restrict access to management interfaces.
Access Control Lists
allImplement ACLs to restrict which IP addresses can communicate with the access points.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Segment affected devices into isolated VLANs with strict firewall rules
- Monitor network traffic to/from affected devices for anomalous patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the Instant OS version via web interface (System > About) or CLI (show version). Compare against affected version ranges.Check Version:
show versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the installed version is above the patched threshold: 6.4.4.8-4.2.4.18+, 6.5.4.17+, 8.3.0.13+, 8.5.0.7+, or 8.6.0.3+📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Access point crash logs
- Unexpected reboots
- Memory corruption errors in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to access point management interfaces
- Malformed packets targeting IAP ports
SIEM Query:
source="aruba-iap" AND (event_type="crash" OR event_type="reboot" OR message="*buffer*" OR message="*overflow*")