dbcve.org
Aironet Access PointOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2016-9196

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-04-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A vulnerability in login authentication management in Cisco Aironet 1800, 2800, and 3800 Series Access Point platforms could allow an authenticated, local attacker to gain unrestricted root access to the underlying Linux operating system. The root Linux shell is provided for advanced troubleshooting and should not be available to individual users, even those with root privileges. The attacker must have the root password to exploit this vulnerability. More Information: CSCvb13893. Known Affected Releases: 8.2(121.0) 8.3(102.0). Known Fixed Releases: 8.4(1.53) 8.4(1.52) 8.3(111.0) 8.3(104.23) 8.2(130.0) 8.2(124.1).

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

This is an authentication management vulnerability in Cisco Aironet 1800, 2800, and 3800 Series Access Points that allows an authenticated local attacker with root password to gain unrestricted root shell access to the underlying Linux operating system. The root Linux shell, intended for advanced troubleshooting, is improperly exposed and can be exploited to escalate privileges beyond what should be permitted even for legitimate root users.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco Aironet access point firmware to a fixed release (8.4(1.53), 8.4(1.52), 8.3(111.0), 8.3(104.23), 8.2(130.0), or 8.2(124.1) or later. Until patched, strictly control root password access and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

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
Aironet Access PointOperating system
Affected:= 8.1\(15.14\)= 8.1\(112.3\)= 8.1\(112.4\)= 8.1\(131.0\)= 8.2\(100.0\)= 8.2\(102.43\)= 8.2_base

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 Aironet AP model
    Log into the AP CLI and run 'show version' or check the web interface to confirm the model is an Aironet 1800, 2800, or 3800 series access point
    Affected if The model is not one of these three series (1800, 2800, 3800)
  2. Determine the firmware version
    Run the command 'show version' in the AP CLI and locate the firmware version string (for example, displayed as 8.1.x.x or 8.2.x.x)
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or the AP is not running Cisco Aironet firmware
  3. Compare against affected versions
    Compare your firmware version to the list: 8.1(15.14), 8.1(112.3), 8.1(112.4), 8.1(131.0), 8.2(100.0), 8.2(102.43), or 8.2_base
    Affected if Your installed version exactly matches one of these versions
  4. Verify root shell access exposure
    Attempt to access the restricted Linux shell via the 'enable' command followed by 'request platform-software console attach' or similar console access method, or check if the root shell is accessible without proper isolation
    Affected if Root shell access is granted freely to any user with the root password without additional access controls

You are affected if you have a Cisco Aironet 1800, 2800, or 3800 series AP running firmware version 8.1(15.14), 8.1(112.3), 8.1(112.4), 8.1(131.0), 8.2(100.0), 8.2(102.43), or 8.2_base.

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 Aironet access point firmware to a fixed release (8.4(1.53), 8.4(1.52), 8.3(111.0), 8.3(104.23), 8.2(130.0), or 8.2(124.1) or later. Until patched, strictly control root password access and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

Fix this in Aironet Access Point Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2016-9196 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data