CVE-2025-52690 is a critical command injection vulnerability identified in Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar wireless access point products, specifically affecting AP1100, AP1200, AP1300, AP1400, and AP1500 models running AWOS versions 5.0.2 GA and earlier. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in operating system commands (CWE-77), allowing an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the affected devices. This means an attacker can fully compromise the access point, gaining complete control over its operating system environment. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1, indicating high severity, with attack vector being network-based (AV:N), requiring no privileges (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N). However, the attack complexity is high (AC:H), suggesting some conditions or specific knowledge are needed to exploit it. Successful exploitation could lead to a full breach of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the device, enabling attackers to intercept or manipulate network traffic, disrupt wireless services, or use the compromised device as a foothold for lateral movement within the network. No known exploits in the wild have been reported yet, and no official patches or updates have been linked at the time of publication. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects core network infrastructure devices that provide wireless connectivity, making it a critical risk for organizations relying on these access points for secure communications.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant threat to network security and operational continuity. Compromise of OmniAccess Stellar access points could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate or governmental data transmitted over wireless networks, undermining confidentiality. Integrity of network communications could be compromised by attackers injecting malicious traffic or altering configurations. Availability risks include denial of service or network outages caused by attackers disrupting wireless access. Given the root-level access gained by exploitation, attackers could also deploy persistent backdoors or pivot to other internal systems, escalating the impact. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure, which rely heavily on secure wireless connectivity, would be particularly vulnerable. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure increases exposure risk, necessitating immediate mitigation efforts to prevent exploitation. Additionally, the high attack complexity may limit widespread exploitation but does not eliminate the threat, especially from skilled adversaries or targeted attacks.

1. Immediate network segmentation: Isolate affected OmniAccess Stellar devices from critical network segments to limit potential lateral movement if compromised. 2. Restrict management access: Limit remote and local management interfaces to trusted IP addresses and use strong authentication mechanisms such as multifactor authentication where possible. 3. Monitor network traffic: Deploy intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) and monitor for unusual command execution patterns or anomalous device behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Apply strict input validation: Although patch details are unavailable, organizations should work with Alcatel-Lucent support to obtain any interim fixes or workarounds that sanitize inputs to the vulnerable command interfaces. 5. Firmware updates: Prioritize upgrading to AWOS versions later than 5.0.2 GA once patches are released. 6. Incident response readiness: Prepare to isolate or replace compromised devices quickly and conduct forensic analysis if exploitation is suspected. 7. Vendor engagement: Maintain close communication with Alcatel-Lucent for timely security advisories and patch releases. 8. Network access control (NAC): Enforce strict device authentication and authorization policies to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting to the network.