CVE-2022-37901 is an authenticated command injection vulnerability affecting multiple Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Aruba networking products, including Aruba Mobility Conductor (formerly Mobility Master), Aruba Mobility Controllers, WLAN Gateways, and SD-WAN Gateways managed via Aruba Central. The vulnerability resides in the ArubaOS command line interface (CLI), where insufficient input validation allows an authenticated user with privileged access to inject arbitrary commands. Successful exploitation enables execution of arbitrary commands with elevated privileges on the underlying operating system, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected device and the broader network infrastructure it manages. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), indicating that the root cause is improper sanitization of user-supplied input in command execution contexts. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.2 (High), reflecting network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges required (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). There are no known exploits in the wild reported to date, and no specific affected versions are listed, but the vulnerability affects multiple core Aruba networking products widely deployed in enterprise environments. The lack of available patches at the time of publication indicates that mitigation may rely on compensating controls until updates are released. Given the critical role these devices play in managing wireless and SD-WAN infrastructure, exploitation could lead to full device compromise, lateral movement within networks, interception or manipulation of network traffic, and disruption of network services.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-37901 is significant due to the widespread deployment of Aruba networking equipment in enterprise, government, and critical infrastructure sectors. Exploitation could allow attackers to gain privileged control over network management devices, enabling interception or manipulation of sensitive communications, disruption of wireless and SD-WAN connectivity, and potential pivoting to other internal systems. This poses risks to data confidentiality, operational continuity, and compliance with stringent European data protection regulations such as GDPR. Organizations relying on Aruba Mobility Controllers and gateways for secure wireless access and SD-WAN connectivity could face service outages, data breaches, and reputational damage. The high privileges required for exploitation somewhat limit the attack surface to insiders or attackers who have already compromised lower-level credentials, but the absence of required user interaction and low attack complexity increase the risk of automated or scripted attacks once credentials are obtained. The vulnerability also raises concerns for sectors with high security requirements, including finance, healthcare, and public administration, where network integrity and availability are critical.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting access to the ArubaOS CLI to only highly trusted administrators and enforcing strong multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 2. Network segmentation should be implemented to isolate Aruba management interfaces from general user networks and the internet, limiting exposure. 3. Monitor and audit all administrative access logs for unusual command execution patterns or unauthorized access attempts. 4. Apply strict input validation and command filtering policies where possible within the management environment to detect and block anomalous commands. 5. Until official patches are released by HPE, consider deploying compensating controls such as virtual patching via network intrusion prevention systems (IPS) that can detect command injection attempts targeting Aruba CLI commands. 6. Maintain up-to-date backups of device configurations to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise. 7. Engage with HPE support channels to obtain timelines for patches and apply them promptly once available. 8. Conduct regular security awareness training for administrators to recognize phishing or social engineering attempts that could lead to credential theft. 9. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions on management workstations to detect lateral movement or exploitation attempts.