CVE-2021-26969
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 remote authenticated authenticated xml external entity (xxe) vulnerability was discovered in Aruba AirWave Management Platform version(s): Prior to 8.2.12.0. Due to improper restrictions on XML entities a vulnerability exists in the web-based management interface of AirWave. A successful exploit could allow an authenticated attacker to retrieve files from the local system or cause the application to consume system resources, resulting in a denial of service condition.
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 confidenceAruba AirWave Management Platform versions prior to 8.2.12.0 contain an authenticated XXE vulnerability in the web-based management interface. Attackers with valid credentials can exploit improper XML entity restrictions to read arbitrary local files from the system or trigger excessive resource consumption leading to denial of service.
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< 8.2.12.0CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 AirWave installation versionLog into the AirWave web management interface and navigate to the About or System Information page, typically found under Home > About or System Setup > General > About. Alternatively, check the login page footer which often displays the version number.Affected if The displayed version is lower than 8.2.12.0 (for example, 8.2.10.0, 8.2.11.0, etc.)
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Confirm management interface accessibilityVerify that the AirWave web-based management interface is accessible over HTTP/HTTPS from the network segment being assessed. Attempt to reach the login page at the configured AirWave hostname or IP address.Affected if The web management interface is reachable and responds with the AirWave login page, indicating the vulnerable component is exposed.
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Determine if valid user accounts existReview user accounts configured in AirWave by accessing the management interface user management section (typically under System Setup > Users or Administration > User Management) or by querying the system for local user accounts.Affected if There are active user accounts with credentials that could be used to authenticate to the web interface, enabling the XXE attack vector.
The environment is affected if the installed AirWave version is below 8.2.12.0 and the web-based management interface is accessible with valid user credentials.
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 data8.2.12.0
Upgrade to AirWave version 8.2.12.0 or later which implements proper XML entity restrictions. Restrict management interface access to trusted personnel only as a defense-in-depth measure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-26969 — 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-2021-26969 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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