Aos CxOperating system · Arubanetworks

CVE-2022-23681

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.06.0220 / 10.08.1080 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 vulnerabilities exist in the AOS-CX command line interface that could lead to authenticated command injection. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands as root on the underlying operating system leading to complete switch compromise in ArubaOS-CX version(s): AOS-CX 10.09.xxxx: 10.09.1030 and below, AOS-CX 10.08.xxxx: 10.08.1030 and below, AOS-CX 10.06.xxxx: 10.06.0180 and below. Aruba has released upgrades for ArubaOS-CX Switch 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

Authenticated command injection vulnerabilities exist in the AOS-CX switch CLI that allow an attacker with valid credentials to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the underlying operating system, enabling complete switch compromise.

MitigationUpgrade ArubaOS-CX to a version higher than 10.09.1030, 10.08.1030, or 10.06.0180 respectively, as per the version branch in use.

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
Aos CxOperating system
Affected:>= 10.06.0000, < 10.06.0220>= 10.08.0000, < 10.08.1080>= 10.09.0000, < 10.09.1040>= 10.10.0000, < 10.10.0002

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
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 checks

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

  1. Determine AOS-CX firmware version
    Access the switch CLI and run the command to display the system version, such as 'show version' or 'show system information'. Note the full version number displayed.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 10.06.0000 to 10.06.0219, 10.08.0000 to 10.08.1079, 10.09.0000 to 10.09.1039, or 10.10.0000 to 10.10.0001.
  2. Verify CLI access is enabled
    Confirm that the command-line interface is accessible and that user accounts exist with privileges to execute CLI commands. Check if remote CLI access via SSH or console is configured and functional.
    Affected if CLI access is available with any valid user account, enabling an authenticated attacker to attempt command injection.
  3. Identify privilege level of existing accounts
    Use 'show user' or 'show running-config' to list configured users and their privilege levels. Determine if any accounts have administrative or root-equivalent privileges.
    Affected if Accounts with administrative or root-level CLI privileges exist, which would allow an authenticated attacker to inject commands at the highest privilege level.
  4. Check for recent CLI session logs
    Review CLI session logs or audit logs if available, looking for unusual command patterns or unexpected command executions that may indicate exploitation attempts.
    Affected if Unusual or unexpected commands appear in CLI history or logs, suggesting possible command injection activity.

You are affected if your AOS-CX switch runs a version within the ranges listed and has CLI access enabled with valid user accounts.

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 10.06.0220 / 10.08.1080 / 10.09.1040 or later
Fixed in 10.06.022010.08.108010.09.1040
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ArubaOS-CX to a version higher than 10.09.1030, 10.08.1030, or 10.06.0180 respectively, as per the version branch in use.

Recommended fix High confidence

AOS-CX 10.06.0220 or later for 10.06 line; AOS-CX 10.08.1080 or later for 10.08 line; AOS-CX 10.09.1040 or later for 10.09 line; AOS-CX 10.10.0002 or later for 10.10 line

  1. 1. Identify the current Aruba AOS-CX switch firmware version using 'show version' command
  2. 2. Based on your current version line, determine the minimum fixed version needed: 10.06.x migrate to 10.06.0220+, 10.08.x migrate to 10.08.1080+, 10.09.x migrate to 10.09.1040+, 10.10.x migrate to 10.10.0002+
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed firmware from the Aruba support portal (https://asp.arubanetworks.com)
  4. 4. Transfer the firmware to the switch using 'copy tftp://<server>/<file> system: //<partition>' or USB installation
  5. 5. Execute 'install-software <file> [reboot]' to install the new firmware
  6. 6. After reboot, verify the new version with 'show version' to confirm installation
  7. 7. Re-apply any custom switch configurations if needed
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade risks apply - ensure configuration backup before upgrade; scheduled downtime may be needed for reboot

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

Fix this in Aos Cx Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2022-23681 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