Aironet Access Point FirmwareOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2017-3834
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in Cisco Aironet 1830 Series and Cisco Aironet 1850 Series Access Points running Cisco Mobility Express Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to take complete control of an affected device. The vulnerability is due to the existence of default credentials for an affected device that is running Cisco Mobility Express Software, regardless of whether the device is configured as a master, subordinate, or standalone access point. An attacker who has layer 3 connectivity to an affected device could use Secure Shell (SSH) to log in to the device with elevated privileges. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to take complete control of the device. This vulnerability affects Cisco Aironet 1830 Series and Cisco Aironet 1850 Series Access Points that are running an 8.2.x release of Cisco Mobility Express Software prior to Release 8.2.111.0, regardless of whether the device is configured as a master, subordinate, or standalone access point. Release 8.2 was the first release of Cisco Mobility Express Software for next generation Cisco Aironet Access Points. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCva50691.
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 confidenceUnauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Cisco Aironet 1830 and 1850 Series Access Points running Cisco Mobility Express Software versions 8.2.x prior to 8.2.111.0. The vulnerability stems from hardcoded default credentials that allow an attacker with layer 3 network access to authenticate via SSH with elevated privileges, achieving complete device compromise.
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 Point FirmwareOperating system
= 8.2.100.0= 8.2.102.43= 8.2.102.139= 8.2.111.0= 8.2.121.12= 8.2.130.0= 90.57= 102.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Access Point modelLog into the AP CLI or web interface and run 'show version' or check the device inventory to confirm the model is Cisco Aironet 1830 or 1850 SeriesAffected if The device is not an Aironet 1830 or 1850 Series model, then this specific CVE does not apply
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Check the Cisco Mobility Express Software versionRun 'show version' or 'show mobility express status' at the CLI to retrieve the installed software versionAffected if The version is 8.2.x and is earlier than 8.2.111.0 (such as 8.2.100.0, 8.2.102.43, 8.2.102.139, 8.2.121.12, or 8.2.130.0), or matches any of the specific affected versions listed (90.57, 102.0) - the device is vulnerable
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Verify if SSH is enabled and accessibleRun 'show ip ssh' or 'show service internal' to confirm SSH is enabled, and check the management interface configuration to determine if SSH is reachable from layer 3 (external) networksAffected if SSH is enabled and accessible from untrusted networks, the default credential flaw can be exploited remotely
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Confirm default credentials are still configuredAttempt to authenticate via SSH using the known hardcoded credentials, or review the device configuration for unchanged default usernames and passwordsAffected if The default credentials have not been changed from the hardcoded values, the device is exploitable
A user is affected if they have a Cisco Aironet 1830 or 1850 Series AP running Cisco Mobility Express Software version 8.2.x prior to 8.2.111.0 with SSH enabled and accessible, and the default hardcoded credentials remain unchanged.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade Cisco Mobility Express Software to version 8.2.111.0 or later to eliminate the default credential vulnerability. Until patched, disable external SSH access or implement strict network access controls.
Cisco Mobility Express Software Release 8.2.111.0 or later
- Identify the current Cisco Mobility Express Software version running on the affected Aironet 1830 or 1850 Series Access Point
- Access the device management interface or use console access
- Upgrade the device firmware to Cisco Mobility Express Software Release 8.2.111.0 or later
- After upgrade, verify the new firmware version is running
- Change any default credentials that may exist and configure strong, unique credentials for SSH access
- Verify SSH access works with the new credentials
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Aironet Access Point Firmware
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-3834 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-3834 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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