CVE-2022-20769: Cisco Wireless LAN Controller AireOS Software FIPS Mode Denial of Service Vulnerability

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2022-09-30 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-787

Description

A vulnerability in the authentication functionality of Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) AireOS Software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to insufficient error validation. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted packets to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the wireless LAN controller to crash, resulting in a DoS condition. Note: This vulnerability affects only devices that have Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) mode enabled.

Affected products

Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC): before 8.10.171.0 — fixed in 8.10.171.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) 8.10.171.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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