CVE-2017-9000
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 · uneditedArubaOS, all versions prior to 6.3.1.25, 6.4 prior to 6.4.4.16, 6.5.x prior to 6.5.1.9, 6.5.2, 6.5.3 prior to 6.5.3.3, 6.5.4 prior to 6.5.4.2, 8.x prior to 8.1.0.4 FIPS and non-FIPS versions of software are both affected equally is vulnerable to unauthenticated arbitrary file access. An unauthenticated user with network access to an Aruba mobility controller on TCP port 8080 or 8081 may be able to access arbitrary files stored on the mobility controller. Ports 8080 and 8081 are used for captive portal functionality and are listening, by default, on all IP interfaces of the mobility controller, including captive portal interfaces. The attacker could access files which could contain passwords, keys, and other sensitive information that could lead to full system compromise.
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 confidenceArubaOS mobility controllers running versions prior to 6.3.1.25, 6.4.4.16, 6.5.1.9, 6.5.3.3, 6.5.4.2, or 8.1.0.4 contain an unauthenticated arbitrary file read vulnerability in the captive portal service listening on TCP ports 8080/8081. An unauthenticated attacker with network access can read any file on the system, potentially obtaining password hashes, keys, and configuration data leading to full 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< 6.3.1.25>= 6.4, < 6.4.4.16>= 6.5.0, < 6.5.1.9>= 6.5.3, < 6.5.3.3>= 6.5.4, < 6.5.4.2>= 8.0, < 8.1.0.4= 6.5.2CVSS 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:3.0/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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Determine the installed ArubaOS versionLog into the mobility controller CLI and run the command 'show version' or 'show boot', which will display the currently running ArubaOS versionAffected if The displayed version falls into any of these ranges: < 6.3.1.25, >= 6.4.0 and < 6.4.4.16, >= 6.5.0 and < 6.5.1.9, = 6.5.2, >= 6.5.3 and < 6.5.3.3, >= 6.5.4 and < 6.5.4.2, >= 8.0.0 and < 8.1.0.4
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Verify if captive portal is enabledRun the command 'show captive-portal' or 'show running-config | include captive-portal' in the CLI to check if the captive portal feature is currently enabled on the controllerAffected if Captive portal status shows as enabled or the configuration includes captive-portal settings on the affected ports
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Confirm TCP ports 8080/8081 are listening and accessibleFrom an external host or from within the management network, run 'nc -zv <controller-ip> 8080' and 'nc -zv <controller-ip> 8081' or use 'nmap -p 8080,8081 <controller-ip>' to verify these captive portal ports are open and reachableAffected if Either port 8080 or 8081 responds to TCP connection attempts, indicating the vulnerable service is exposed
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Check for external access to captive portal portsReview the controller's ACLs, firewall rules, or VLAN interface configurations to determine if ports 8080/8081 are reachable from untrusted or external networks. Use 'show ip access-list' and inspect interface bindingsAffected if The ACLs or firewall rules permit traffic from untrusted networks (such as guest VLANs or the internet) to ports 8080/8081 on the controller
Your environment is affected if the installed ArubaOS version is within any of the vulnerable version ranges AND the captive portal service is enabled and accessible on ports 8080/8081 from a network where untrusted users can reach the controller.
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 · scoped6.3.1.256.4.4.166.5.1.9
Upgrade ArubaOS to a patched version (6.3.1.25+, 6.4.4.16+, 6.5.1.9+, 6.5.3.3+, 6.5.4.2+, or 8.1.0.4+). If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to ports 8080/8081 via ACLs or firewall rules to trusted sources only.
Upgrade to 6.3.1.25 (for 6.3.x branch), 6.4.4.16 (for 6.4.x branch), 6.5.1.9 (for 6.5.0-6.5.1), 6.5.3.3 (for 6.5.3), 6.5.4.2 (for 6.5.4), or 8.1.0.4 (for 8.x branch)
- 1. Identify the current ArubaOS version by logging into the controller CLI and running 'show version' or via WebUI under Maintenance > Controller > Controller Version
- 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current version branch (6.3.x, 6.4.x, 6.5.x, or 8.x)
- 3. Backup the current controller configuration using 'backup flash' command or via WebUI under Maintenance > Controller > Backup
- 4. Download the appropriate fixed version from Aruba Networks support portal: 6.3.1.25, 6.4.4.16, 6.5.1.9, 6.5.3.3, 6.5.4.2, or 8.1.0.4 depending on your branch
- 5. Upload the new firmware image to the controller via WebUI (Maintenance > Controller > Upgrade) or TFTP/FTP
- 6. Reboot the controller to apply the new firmware
- 7. After reboot, verify the new version is installed using 'show version'
- 8. Verify that ports 8080 and 8081 are still required for captive portal and apply any additional access controls if needed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9000 — 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-2017-9000 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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