CVE-2023-20251 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE involves a vulnerability found in the memory buffer of Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) AireOS Software. It could potentially allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause memory leaks, which could eventually lead to a device reboot. The impact of this vulnerability is a denial of service (DoS) condition on the affected device.

Understanding CVE-2023-20251

This section delves deeper into the details of CVE-2023-20251, its impact, technical specifics, and mitigation strategies.

What is CVE-2023-20251?

The vulnerability in Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) AireOS Software is caused by memory leaks resulting from multiple clients connecting under specific conditions. An attacker could exploit this by causing numerous wireless clients to connect to an access point (AP) on an affected device. Eventually, this could lead to a device reboot and a DoS situation.

The Impact of CVE-2023-20251

The exploit allows an adjacent attacker to trigger memory leaks, leading to device reboots and denial of service. The severity is classified as MEDIUM, with a base score of 6.1. The attack vector is an adjacent network with high complexity, requiring no privileges or user interaction. The primary impact is on the availability of the system.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-20251

In this section, we will explore the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, as well as the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in Cisco WLC AireOS Software results in memory leaks due to multiple clients connecting under specific conditions, potentially leading to device reboots and a denial of service scenario.

Affected Systems and Versions

The following Cisco products and versions are affected by CVE-2023-20251:

Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) versions 8.10.162.0, 8.10.151.0, 8.10.171.0, 8.10.170.0, 8.10.181.0, 8.10.182.0, 8.10.183.0, 8.10.185.0
Cisco Mobility Express versions 8.10.183.0, 8.10.162.0, 8.10.151.0, 8.10.185.0, 8.10.171.0, 8.10.182.0, 8.10.181.0

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker by causing multiple wireless clients to connect to an access point on the affected device. Subsequently, this action triggers memory leaks leading to device reboots and denial of service.

Mitigation and Prevention

To safeguard against CVE-2023-20251, immediate steps should be taken alongside adopting long-term security practices. Patching and updates should be promptly applied to affected systems to mitigate the risk of exploitation and ensure system stability.