Home / Items
Vendor advisorySeverity 5.9 medium
Cisco Access Point Software Secure Boot Bypass Vulnerability
cisco-sa-ap-secureboot-bypass-zT5vJkSD · Cisco · March 27, 2024
Summary
A vulnerability in the boot process of Cisco Access Point (AP) Software could allow an unauthenticated, physical attacker to bypass the Cisco Secure Boot functionality and load a software image that has been tampered with on an affected device.
This vulnerability exists because unnecessary commands are available during boot time at the physical console. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by interrupting the boot process and executing specific commands to bypass the Cisco Secure Boot validation checks and load an image that has been tampered with. This image would have been previously downloaded onto the targeted device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to load the image once. The Cisco Secure Boot functionality is not permanently compromised.
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.
From Cisco (vendor's own words, quoted), quoted as published. Check the source before acting.
What to do
Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability.
Vendor fix or mitigation, quoted from the advisory.
Each CVE in this advisory
| CVE | Severity | Known exploited | Exploit likelihood |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-20265 | 5.9 medium | No | 0.2% |
Severity from the advisory (CVSS), known exploitation from CISA's catalog, exploit likelihood from EPSS (next 30 days).
Affected products
| Vendor | Product |
|---|---|
| Cisco | Cisco IOS XE Software |
| Cisco | Cisco Aironet Access Point Software |
| Cisco | Cisco Business Wireless Access Point Software |
| Cisco | Cisco Aironet Access Point Software (IOS XE Controller) |
Why it's on these mode pages
- Maritime: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
- Pipeline: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
- Freight rail: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
- Passenger rail and transit: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
- Highway and motor carrier: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
- Postal and parcel: Vendor table: Cisco (network and remote-access gear used in every mode, all modes) (matched by rule)
Change history
- March 27, 2024: Initial public release.
- November 9, 2026: First collected by Watch
Securidigm Scout can match advisories like this one to the equipment on your own network, offline. securidigm.com