dbcve.org
Wireless Lan Controller SoftwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2007-4012

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-07-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Cisco 4100 and 4400, Airespace 4000, and Catalyst 6500 and 3750 Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) software 4.1 before 4.1.180.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (ARP storm) via a broadcast ARP packet that "targets the IP address of a known client context", aka CSCsj50374.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A vulnerability in Cisco Wireless LAN Controller software versions prior to 4.1.180.0 allows remote attackers to trigger a denial of service by sending a broadcast ARP packet targeting the IP address of a known wireless client. This causes an ARP storm that overwhelms the controller and disrupts wireless connectivity for all clients.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco WLC software to version 4.1.180.0 or later to patch this vulnerability. In the interim, consider network segmentation or ACLs to restrict untrusted access to the wireless controller management interface.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Wireless Lan Controller SoftwareOperating system
Affected:= 3.2= 3.2.116.21= 4.0= 4.0.155.0= 4.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Cisco WLC device and software version
    Log into the WLC CLI (via console or SSH) and run the command 'show version' to display the controller model, software version, and build number. In the GUI, go to Monitor > Controller > Summary to view the software version.
    Affected if The displayed software version falls within these affected ranges: 3.2 (any version), 3.2.116.21, 4.0 (any version), 4.0.155.0, or 4.1 (any version). Compare your version against these specific versions to confirm if it is below 4.1.180.0.
  2. Verify network accessibility of the WLC management interface
    Determine the IP address of the WLC management interface (run 'show interface summary' in CLI or check in GUI under Controller > Interfaces). Attempt to reach this IP address from a network segment that is not explicitly trusted, or review firewall/ACL rules that permit access to UDP port 161 (SNMP) and TCP ports 22/443 (SSH/HTTPS) used for management.
    Affected if The WLC management interface is reachable from untrusted network segments or the internet without proper ACL filtering, making it susceptible to remote ARP packet injection.
  3. Confirm wireless clients are associated
    In the WLC GUI, go to Wireless > Clients to list currently associated wireless clients. In CLI, run 'show client summary' to display active client associations including their IP addresses.
    Affected if There are active wireless clients associated with the controller. The vulnerability specifically requires a known client IP address to be targeted by the malicious broadcast ARP packet.
  4. Check for ARP storm indicators
    Monitor the WLC CPU utilization (run 'show process cpu history' in CLI or check in GUI under Monitor > Controller > CPU Utilization). Look for unusually high CPU usage that correlates with network disruption. Review ARP table entries using 'show arp' to identify abnormal ARP traffic patterns.
    Affected if The controller is experiencing unexplained high CPU usage or ARP table instability, which may indicate the vulnerability has been triggered, though this step is confirmatory rather than definitive for detection.

If the Cisco WLC is running any software version prior to 4.1.180.0 within the 3.2, 4.0, or 4.1 version lines AND its management interface is network-accessible to untrusted users, the environment is affected by this CVE.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Cisco WLC software to version 4.1.180.0 or later to patch this vulnerability. In the interim, consider network segmentation or ACLs to restrict untrusted access to the wireless controller management interface.

Fix this in Wireless Lan Controller Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-4012 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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