dbcve.org
Wireless Lan Controller SoftwareOperating system · Cisco

CVE-2022-20769

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.10.171.0 or later.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges 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
A vulnerability in the authentication functionality of Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) AireOS Software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient error validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the wireless LAN controller to crash, resulting in a DoS condition. Note: This vulnerability affects only devices that have Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) mode enabled.

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

A vulnerability in Cisco WLC AireOS Software's authentication functionality allows an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause device crash and DoS by sending crafted packets. This is due to insufficient error validation during authentication processing, and affects only devices with FIPS mode enabled.

MitigationApply Cisco's patch for this vulnerability when available, or consider disabling FIPS mode as a temporary workaround if the patch cannot be deployed promptly; ensure the WLC is updated to a fixed AireOS release.

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
Wireless Lan Controller SoftwareOperating system
Affected:< 8.10.171.0

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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 checks

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

  1. Identify device and software type
    Confirm the device is a Cisco Wireless LAN Controller running AireOS software. Access the WLC CLI or web interface and run 'show version' to identify the software type and version number.
    Affected if Device is not a Cisco WLC running AireOS software
  2. Check installed AireOS version
    Run 'show version' on the WLC CLI or check the web interface. Locate the software version number displayed (for example, 8.10.151.0 or similar).
    Affected if Version number is less than 8.10.171.0
  3. Verify FIPS mode status
    Run 'show fips status' or 'show running-config | include fips' on the WLC CLI. Alternatively, check the WLC web interface under Security > FIPS. Confirm whether FIPS mode is currently enabled or disabled.
    Affected if FIPS mode is enabled on the controller
  4. Confirm vulnerability applicability
    Cross-reference both conditions: the installed version must be less than 8.10.171.0 AND FIPS mode must be enabled. If either condition is false, the device is not affected by this specific CVE.
    Affected if Version is below 8.10.171.0 AND FIPS mode is enabled simultaneously

A Cisco WLC running AireOS versions prior to 8.10.171.0 is affected only if FIPS mode is currently enabled on the controller.

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 8.10.171.0 or later
Fixed in 8.10.171.0
Interim mitigation

Apply Cisco's patch for this vulnerability when available, or consider disabling FIPS mode as a temporary workaround if the patch cannot be deployed promptly; ensure the WLC is updated to a fixed AireOS release.

Recommended fix High confidence

AireOS 8.10.171.0 or later

  1. Verify the current Cisco WLC AireOS version by accessing the controller CLI or web interface
  2. Confirm that FIPS mode is enabled on the device (this vulnerability affects only FIPS-enabled devices)
  3. Download Cisco WLC AireOS software version 8.10.171.0 or later from the Cisco Software Download center
  4. Upload the new software image to the Wireless LAN Controller
  5. Schedule a maintenance window as the controller will reload during the upgrade process
  6. Upgrade the controller to the new software version following standard Cisco upgrade procedures
  7. After upgrade, verify the new version is running and the device is operational
  8. Confirm FIPS mode is still functioning as expected

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

Fix this in Wireless Lan Controller Software Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-20769 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