Aironet Access Point SoftwareApplication · Cisco
CVE-2022-20622
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 IP ingress packet processing of the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller with Catalyst Access Points Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause the device to reload unexpectedly, causing a denial of service (DoS) condition. The device may experience a performance degradation in traffic processing or high CPU usage prior to the unexpected reload. This vulnerability is due to improper rate limiting of IP packets to the management interface. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a steady stream of IP traffic at a high rate to the management interface of the affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload.
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 · moderate confidenceA vulnerability exists in the IP ingress packet processing of the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller with Catalyst Access Points Software. The issue stems from improper rate limiting of IP packets directed to the management interface. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by sending a high-rate stream of IP traffic to the management interface, causing device reload and 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
Aironet Access Point SoftwareApplication
>= 17.3, < 17.3.4>= 17.4, < 17.6.1CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 the Cisco Aironet Access Point Software versionRun 'show version' or 'show controller' command on the device CLI to retrieve the installed software versionAffected if The installed version falls within >= 17.3 and < 17.3.4, or >= 17.4 and < 17.6.1
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Confirm the management interface is configuredRun 'show running-config | include interface' or check the management interface status via 'show interface Management0'Affected if The management interface exists and is in an active or up state
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Verify rate limiting configuration on management interfaceRun 'show ip interface Management0' or check for rate-limit policies in the configuration using 'show running-config | include rate-limit'Affected if No rate limiting or access control policies are applied to the management interface inbound traffic
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Check recent system uptime for reload eventsRun 'show uptime' or review system logs for unexpected reload eventsAffected if The device has experienced unexplained reloads or the uptime is inconsistent with expected operation
The device is affected if it runs Cisco Aironet Access Point Software version 17.3.x before 17.3.4 or 17.4.x/17.5.x before 17.6.1, and the management interface is accessible without rate limiting controls in place.
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 · scoped17.3.417.6.1
Apply the Cisco software update for CVE-2022-20622 when available. As an interim measure, consider implementing external rate limiting or access controls on the management interface to restrict incoming traffic volume.
Upgrade to Aironet Access Point Software version 17.3.4 or later (for 17.3.x branch), or version 17.6.1 or later (for 17.4.x/17.5.x branch)
- 1. Identify the current software version running on the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller using 'show version' command
- 2. If running version 17.3.x (>= 17.3.0 and < 17.3.4), plan upgrade to version 17.3.4 or later
- 3. If running version 17.4.x or 17.5.x (>= 17.4.0 and < 17.6.1), plan upgrade to version 17.6.1 or later
- 4. Download the appropriate fixed software image from Cisco's software download center (tools.cisco.com)
- 5. Review Cisco release notes for upgrade procedures specific to the Aironet Access Point Software
- 6. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade will require a controller reload
- 7. Back up the current configuration before proceeding
- 8. Upload the new software image to the controller
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Aironet Access Point Software
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $3,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20622 — 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-2022-20622 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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