A vulnerability in the WLAN Control Protocol (WCP) implementation for Cisco Aironet Access Point (AP) software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. This vulnerability is due to incorrect error handling when an affected device receives an unexpected 802.11 frame. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending certain 802.11 frames over the wireless network to an interface on an affected AP. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a packet buffer leak. This could eventually result in buffer allocation failures, which would trigger a reload of the affected device. Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability. This advisory is available at the following link:https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-airo-wpa-pktleak-dos-uSTyGrL
A vulnerability in the WLAN Control Protocol (WCP) implementation for Cisco Aironet Access Point (AP) software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause a reload of an affected device, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition.
This vulnerability is due to incorrect error handling when an affected device receives an unexpected 802.11 frame. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending certain 802.11 frames over the wireless network to an interface on an affected AP. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a packet buffer leak. This could eventually result in buffer allocation failures, which would trigger a reload of the affected device.
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
This advisory is available at the following link:
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-airo-wpa-pktleak-dos-uSTyGrL
This vulnerability affects the following Cisco products if they are running a vulnerable release of Cisco Aironet AP software:
Only the 8.10, 17.2, and 17.3 code trains are vulnerable. For information about which Cisco software releases are vulnerable, see the Fixed Software section of this advisory.
Only products listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory are known to be affected by this vulnerability.
Cisco has confirmed that this vulnerability does not affect any Cisco Access Point series that is not listed in the Vulnerable Products section of this advisory.
Exploitation of this vulnerability causes the WCP daemon process to unexpectedly restart and the AP to reload. This event would be indicated by the following syslog messages:
systemd[1]: wcpd.service: main process exited, code=dumped, status=6/ABRT
systemd[1]: Unit wcpd.service entered failed state.
systemd[1]: wcpd.service failed.
To view these syslog messages, use the show logging CLI command. If the AP reloaded unexpectedly and these syslog messages are present, contact Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to determine if this vulnerability was exploited on the device.
There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
Cisco has released free software updates that address the vulnerability described in this advisory. Customers may only install and expect support for software versions and feature sets for which they have purchased a license. By installing, downloading, accessing, or otherwise using such software upgrades, customers agree to follow the terms of the Cisco software license:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/end-user-license-agreement.html
Additionally, customers may only download software for which they have a valid license, procured from Cisco directly, or through a Cisco authorized reseller or partner. In most cases this will be a maintenance upgrade to software that was previously purchased. Free security software updates do not entitle customers to a new software license, additional software feature sets, or major revision upgrades.
When considering software upgrades, customers are advised to regularly consult the advisories for Cisco products, which are available from the Cisco Security Advisories page, to determine exposure and a complete upgrade solution.
In all cases, customers should ensure that the devices to be upgraded contain sufficient memory and confirm that current hardware and software configurations will continue to be supported properly by the new release. If the information is not clear, customers are advised to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) or their contracted maintenance providers.
Customers who purchase directly from Cisco but do not hold a Cisco service contract and customers who make purchases through third-party vendors but are unsuccessful in obtaining fixed software through their point of sale should obtain upgrades by contacting the Cisco TAC: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/web/tsd-cisco-worldwide-contacts.html
Customers should have the product serial number available and be prepared to provide the URL of this advisory as evidence of entitlement to a free upgrade.
The process to upgrade an AP requires administrators to upgrade the wireless controller to which the AP is registered. Customers are advised to upgrade to an appropriate fixed software release as indicated in the following table(s):
Access Points Managed by Wireless LAN Controller or Mobility Express
| Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Software Release | First Fixed Release |
|---|---|
| 8.9 and earlier | Not vulnerable. |
| 8.10 | 8.10.162.01 |
Access Points Managed by Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller or Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) on Catalyst Access Points
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller Software Release | First Fixed Release |
|---|---|
| 16.12 and earlier | Not vulnerable. |
| 17.2 | Migrate to a fixed release.1 |
| 17.3 | IOS XE Access Point Service Pack 17.03.04.CSCvz178682 |
| 17.4 and later | Not vulnerable. |
The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.
This vulnerability was found during the resolution of a Cisco TAC support case.
To learn about Cisco security vulnerability disclosure policies and publications, see the Security Vulnerability Policy. This document also contains instructions for obtaining fixed software and receiving security vulnerability information from Cisco.
| Version | Description | Section | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Initial public release. | - | Final | 2021-SEP-22 |
THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE. YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE DOCUMENT OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE DOCUMENT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS DOCUMENT AT ANY TIME.
A standalone copy or paraphrase of the text of this document that omits the distribution URL is an uncontrolled copy and may lack important information or contain factual errors. The information in this document is intended for end users of Cisco products.
Vulmon