Ap CosOperating system · Cisco
CVE-2019-1654
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 the development shell (devshell) authentication for Cisco Aironet Series Access Points (APs) running the Cisco AP-COS operating system could allow an authenticated, local attacker to access the development shell without proper authentication, which allows for root access to the underlying Linux OS. The attacker would need valid device credentials. The vulnerability exists because the software improperly validates user-supplied input at the CLI authentication prompt for development shell access. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the device and entering crafted input at the CLI. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to access the AP development shell without proper authentication, which allows for root access to the underlying Linux OS. Software versions prior to 8.3.150.0, 8.5.135.0, and 8.8.100.0 are affected.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in the development shell (devshell) CLI authentication on Cisco Aironet Series Access Points running AP-COS allows an authenticated attacker with valid device credentials to bypass authentication via crafted input, gaining root access to the underlying Linux OS. The root cause is improper validation of user-supplied input at the devshell authentication prompt.
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
Ap CosOperating system
< 8.3.150.0>= 8.4.100.0, < 8.5.135.0>= 8.5.140.0, < 8.8.100.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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.
-
Identify device model and OSRun 'show version' or 'show inventory' on the Cisco Aironet Access Point CLI to confirm the device model and verify it is running AP-COS firmware.Affected if The device is a Cisco Aironet Series Access Point running AP-COS.
-
Check AP-COS firmware versionRun 'show version' on the AP CLI to display the installed AP-COS version number.Affected if The installed version is less than 8.3.150.0, OR between 8.4.100.0 and 8.5.134.0 inclusive, OR between 8.5.140.0 and 8.8.99.0 inclusive.
-
Verify devshell access is availableAttempt to access the development shell by running 'devshell' from the AP CLI prompt. Confirm whether the command is available and prompts for authentication.Affected if The devshell command is accessible and presents an authentication prompt.
-
Confirm valid credentials existCheck for locally configured user accounts with privilege level sufficient to access devshell by running 'show running-config | include username' or checking the privilege levels assigned.Affected if Valid device credentials exist on the AP that could be used to authenticate to devshell.
A device is affected if it is a Cisco Aironet AP running AP-COS with devshell accessible, and the installed version falls within the vulnerable ranges: < 8.3.150.0, >= 8.4.100.0 and < 8.5.135.0, or >= 8.5.140.0 and < 8.8.100.0.
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.
From vendor data8.3.150.08.5.135.08.8.100.0
Apply Cisco software updates version 8.3.150.0, 8.5.135.0, or 8.8.100.0 and later to fix the improper input validation in the devshell authentication.
Fix this in Ap Cos
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $3,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-1654 — 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-2019-1654 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
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.
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.
- 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