Aironet Access Point SoftwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2017-3831

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-03-15

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

A vulnerability in the web-based GUI of Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Points could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication. The attacker could be granted full administrator privileges. The vulnerability is due to improper implementation of authentication for accessing certain web pages using the GUI interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted HTTP request to the web interface of the affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to bypass authentication and perform unauthorized configuration changes or issue control commands to the affected device. This vulnerability affects Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Points running a software version prior to 8.2.110.0. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCuy68219.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the web-based GUI of Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Points allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain full administrator privileges by sending crafted HTTP requests to certain web pages. The vulnerability stems from improper authentication implementation and affects versions prior to 8.2.110.0.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Points to software version 8.2.110.0 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Aironet Access Point SoftwareOperating system

Affected:= 8.1$15.14$= 8.1$112.3$= 8.1$112.4$= 8.1$131.0$

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Identify the device model

Access the device CLI or web GUI and determine if the hardware is a Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Point. This can be done via 'show version' command in CLI or by checking the device information page in the web interface.

Affected if The device is not a Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Point (the vulnerability only affects this specific product line).
Determine the installed software version

Run the 'show version' command in the device CLI or check the version information in the web GUI. Look for a version number in the format 8.1.x or 8.2.x.

Affected if The installed version is 8.1(15.14), 8.1(112.3), 8.1(112.4), or 8.1(131.0), or any version prior to 8.2.110.0.
Confirm the web-based GUI is enabled

Check if the HTTP/HTTPS web interface service is active on the device. This can be verified via 'show running-config | include http' in CLI or by attempting to access the web interface on port 80 or 443.

Affected if The web GUI is enabled and accessible - the vulnerability is only exploitable through the web interface.
Verify unauthenticated access to administrator pages

Send a crafted HTTP request to common administrative endpoints such as /status or /admin without providing credentials. If the request succeeds and returns administrator-level content, the device may be vulnerable.

Affected if Unauthenticated HTTP requests to web GUI administrative pages return full administrator access without any authentication credentials.

A user is affected if they have a Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Point running software version 8.1.x (specifically 8.1(15.14), 8.1(112.3), 8.1(112.4), or 8.1(131.0)) or any version prior to 8.2.110.0, with the web-based GUI enabled and accessible.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Upgrade Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Points to software version 8.2.110.0 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.2.110.0 or later (Cisco Mobility Express software for 1800 Series Access Points)

1. Identify the current software version running on the Cisco Mobility Express 1800 Series Access Point by accessing the web-based GUI or using the 'show version' command via CLI
2. Navigate to Cisco's official software download page for Cisco Mobility Express at tools.cisco.com and locate the 8.2.110.0 or later release
3. Download the appropriate firmware image for your specific Access Point model
4. Back up the current configuration of the device using the web GUI (Management > Backup & Restore) or CLI
5. Access the web GUI and navigate to Management > Software Update, or use the CLI 'archive download-sw' command to upload and install the new firmware
6. After the upgrade completes, the device will reboot automatically
7. Once the device restarts, verify the new version is installed using 'show version' and confirm the version is 8.2.110.0 or later
8. Verify that the configuration has been retained and test that authentication is now properly enforced

Caveat Review Cisco release notes for version 8.2.x for any changes to features or configuration commands that may affect your deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Aironet Access Point Software Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation6.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

15.0 hours of engineering $2,640

Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

tools.cisco.comVendor Advisory
www.securityfocus.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-3831 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2017-3831?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 9.8 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 5.3%

Affects: Aironet Access Point Software

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Aironet Access Point Software 15 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $2,640

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2017-3831 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References