CVE-2023-22747 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

This CVE-2023-22747 was published on February 28, 2023, and affects Aruba Mobility Conductor, Aruba Mobility Controllers, WLAN Gateways, and SD-WAN Gateways managed by Aruba Central, which are products of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). The vulnerability involves multiple command injection issues in the PAPI (Aruba Networks access point management protocol) UDP port (8211), which can allow unauthenticated remote code execution.

Understanding CVE-2023-22747

This vulnerability poses a critical threat as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code as privileged users on the underlying operating system by sending specially crafted packets to the affected systems.

What is CVE-2023-22747?

CVE-2023-22747 involves multiple command injection vulnerabilities in the PAPI protocol used by Aruba Networks products, allowing unauthorized remote code execution with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The Impact of CVE-2023-22747

The successful exploitation of CVE-2023-22747 can result in severe consequences, including unauthorized access, data manipulation, and service disruption, posing a significant risk to the security and functionality of the affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-22747

The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8, indicating a critical severity level due to its low attack complexity, high availability impact, and the potential for unauthenticated remote code execution with no user interaction required.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious commands through specially crafted packets, leading to unauthorized remote code execution as a privileged user on the targeted systems, compromising their security and integrity.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected products include ArubaOS versions 8.6.0.19 and below, 8.10.0.4 and below, 10.3.1.0 and below, and SD-WAN versions 8.7.0.0-2.3.0.8 and below managed by Aruba Central.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit the vulnerability by sending crafted packets to the PAPI UDP port (8211) of the affected systems, taking advantage of the command injection flaws to execute arbitrary code remotely without the need for authentication.

Mitigation and Prevention

Organizations and users are advised to take immediate steps to mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2023-22747 and implement long-term security practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches and updates provided by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to address the vulnerability and secure the affected systems.
Restrict network access to the PAPI UDP port to prevent unauthorized exploitation by external entities.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activities or attempts to exploit the PAPI protocol.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software and firmware to address known vulnerabilities and enhance system security.
Implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to critical services and protocols.
Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate potential security weaknesses proactively.

Patching and Updates

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has released patches to address the vulnerabilities in the affected versions of ArubaOS and SD-WAN Gateways. Users are strongly encouraged to apply the latest updates to protect their systems from exploitation and ensure the security of their network infrastructure.