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Arubaos CxOperating system · Hpe

CVE-2021-41002

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.09.0002 or later.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
Multiple authenticated remote path traversal vulnerabilities were discovered in the AOS-CX command line interface in Aruba CX 6200F Switch Series, Aruba 6300 Switch Series, Aruba 6400 Switch Series, Aruba 8320 Switch Series, Aruba 8325 Switch Series, Aruba 8400 Switch Series, Aruba CX 8360 Switch Series version(s): AOS-CX 10.06.xxxx: 10.06.0170 and below, AOS-CX 10.07.xxxx: 10.07.0050 and below, AOS-CX 10.08.xxxx: 10.08.1030 and below, AOS-CX 10.09.xxxx: 10.09.0002 and below. Aruba has released upgrades for Aruba AOS-CX devices that address these security vulnerabilities.

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 confidence

Multiple authenticated remote path traversal vulnerabilities exist in the AOS-CX CLI of Aruba CX switch series. An authenticated attacker with CLI access can manipulate file path references to escape the intended directory and read arbitrary files on the switch filesystem, potentially exposing sensitive system configurations or credentials.

MitigationApply Aruba's firmware upgrades to AOS-CX versions 10.06.0180+, 10.07.0060+, 10.08.1040+, or 10.09.0003+ (or later). Until patched, strictly limit CLI access to trusted administrators and monitor for anomalous file access patterns.

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
Arubaos CxOperating system
Affected:>= 10.06.0001, <= 10.06.0170>= 10.07.0001, <= 10.07.0050>= 10.08.0001, <= 10.08.1030>= 10.09.0001, <= 10.09.0002

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.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 checks

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

  1. Check the AOS-CX firmware version
    Run 'show version' in the CLI or access the switch management interface to view the installed firmware version
    Affected if The installed version falls within 10.06.0001-10.06.0170, 10.07.0001-10.07.0050, 10.08.0001-10.08.1030, or 10.09.0001-10.09.0002
  2. Verify CLI access is enabled
    Confirm that the CLI service is active and accessible by logging in or checking 'show cli sessions'
    Affected if CLI access is available to any authenticated user (the vulnerability requires authenticated CLI access)
  3. Review CLI command logging for path traversal patterns
    Inspect CLI audit logs or session logs for commands containing '../' sequences or attempts to access files outside the intended directory (e.g., 'show file /../etc/passwd')
    Affected if Any log entries show path traversal attempts using '../' in file-related CLI commands
  4. Check for unauthorized file reads
    Examine system logs for unusual file read operations via CLI commands such as 'show file' or 'copy' that access sensitive system files
    Affected if Logs reveal file reads from system directories (like /config, /etc) that were not initiated by legitimate administrative actions

A switch is affected if it runs an AOS-CX version within the affected ranges AND has CLI access enabled, regardless of whether exploitation is confirmed in logs.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 10.09.0002
Interim mitigation

Apply Aruba's firmware upgrades to AOS-CX versions 10.06.0180+, 10.07.0060+, 10.08.1040+, or 10.09.0003+ (or later). Until patched, strictly limit CLI access to trusted administrators and monitor for anomalous file access patterns.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

AOS-CX 10.06.0171 or later; 10.07.0051 or later; 10.08.1031 or later; 10.09.0003 or later (per Aruba's release notes)

  1. Identify the current AOS-CX version by running 'show version' in the CLI
  2. Determine which version branch your current software falls into (10.06.x, 10.07.x, 10.08.x, or 10.09.x)
  3. Download the appropriate AOS-CX firmware upgrade from the Aruba support portal (support.arubanetworks.com)
  4. Upload the new firmware image to the switch using 'copy tftp://<server>/<image> flash:' or via Web UI
  5. Verify the uploaded image integrity using 'show boot-history' or 'show flash'
  6. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade may cause brief network disruption
  7. Execute the upgrade using 'boot system <image>' command
  8. After reboot, verify the new version using 'show version' and confirm the vulnerability is resolved
Caveat Review Aruba release notes for your specific version branch as certain feature changes or configuration adjustments may be required after upgrade

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

Fix this in Arubaos Cx Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-41002 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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