CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2017-3854 — Cisco Wireless Lan Controller Firmware security vulnerability

High CVSS 8.8

A vulnerability in the mesh code of Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to impersonate a WLC in a meshed topology. The vulnerability is due to insufficient authentication of the parent access point in a mesh configuration. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by forcing the target system to disconnect from the correct parent access point and reconnect to a rogue access point owned by the attacker. An exploit could allow the attacker to control the traffic flowing through the impacted access point or take full control of the target system. This vulnerability affects the following products running a vulnerable version of Wireless LAN Controller software and configured for meshed mode: Cisco 8500 Series Wireless Controller, Cisco 5500 Series Wireless Controller, Cisco 2500 Series Wireless Controller, Cisco Flex 7500 Series Wireless Controller, Cisco Virtual Wireless Controller, Wireless Services Module 2 (WiSM2). Note that additional configuration is needed in addition to upgrading to a fixed release. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCuc98992 CSCuu14804.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.8 (3.1)
Published
2017-03-15
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-287

Affected products

  • cisco / wireless_lan_controller_firmware / 8.0.72.140
  • cisco / wireless_lan_controller_software / 6.0199.4
  • cisco / wireless_lan_controller_software / 7.41.54
  • cisco / wireless_lan_controller_software / 7.0220.0
  • cisco / wireless_lan_controller_software / 7.0250.0
  • cisco / wireless_lan_controller_software / 16.088.0

Matched remediation archetype

Authentication bypass and missing authentication

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Check exposure

  • Map every affected endpoint and protocol path, including alternate ports, legacy routes, recovery flows, service accounts, and machine-to-machine access.
  • Confirm which deployments enable the affected authentication mode and whether the interface is reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Review session, token, credential, and proxy trust configuration without attempting account takeover.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the supported fix and centralize fail-closed authentication before protected request handling.
  • Remove default or embedded credentials, rotate affected secrets and sessions, and bind authentication decisions to the intended audience and channel.
  • Add negative tests for alternate routes, malformed or absent credentials, recovery flows, and proxy-derived identity.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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