CVE-2022-37913 - How Unauthenticated Attackers Could Break Into Aruba EdgeConnect Orchestrator

In late 2022, a critical security flaw was discovered in the Aruba EdgeConnect Enterprise Orchestrator, a web-based management system widely used by organizations to control their network edge devices. Known as CVE-2022-37913, this vulnerability allows unauthenticated, remote attackers to bypass the login system, potentially giving them full administrative control over the device—and by extension, significant portions of a corporate network.

This post will explain how the vulnerability works, what versions it affects, offer some code snippets to illustrate potential exploitation, and provide links to more technical references. I’ll keep the language simple so everyone can understand just how dangerous this issue is.

What Is Aruba EdgeConnect Orchestrator?

Aruba EdgeConnect is a product from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) meant to help organizations run "software-defined wide area networks" (SD-WANs). The Orchestrator is the web-based graphical interface that network admins use for daily operations, device management, configurations, and security tasks.

What Is CVE-2022-37913?

CVE-2022-37913 refers to a set of vulnerabilities in the Orchestrator's web management interface. These flaws allow someone not even logged in—an unauthenticated attacker—to skip the authentication process and directly obtain administrative privileges. In other words, anyone on the network (or with web access to the Orchestrator interface) could take it over completely.

Any older branches not listed above

If you manage an Orchestrator on any of these versions, patch it immediately.

Let's break it down

1. Web Interface Flaw: The authentication process in certain Orchestrator versions is flawed. Typically, when you access the login page, you need to prove your identity (with username and password). However, due to coding mistakes, it's possible to send special HTTP requests or manipulate session cookies to trick the system into thinking you're already authenticated.
2. Remote Attack: Attackers don't need local access—they just need to be able to reach the web interface, either on the local network or (dangerously) if exposed to the internet.
3. Privilege Escalation: Once inside, the attacker can perform any admin operation, including creating new users, changing configurations, viewing sensitive network data, or even planting backdoors.

Exploit Example (For Educational Purpose Only)

While the original proof of concept exploits are not public, here's a simplified Python snippet to give an idea of what such an attack could look like:

import requests

orchestrator_url = "https://target-orchestrator.example.com";
endpoint = "/api/important_admin_action"

# Sometimes, the vulnerability might accept a manipulated session (e.g., using 'admin' as a cookie value)
session_cookies = {
    "session_id": "admin"  # Or whatever token bypass works due to the bug
}

# Some attackers simply avoid authentication by directly accessing certain endpoints
response = requests.get(orchestrator_url + endpoint, cookies=session_cookies, verify=False)

if response.status_code == 200:
    print("[+] Potentially bypassed authentication. Got response:")
    print(response.text)
else:
    print("[-] Exploit might not have worked.")

Note: Actual exploitation details may vary based on code differences or patches, but this demonstrates how simple the attack can be if authentication checks are weak.

Attackers use crafted HTTP requests or malformed authentication tokens to trigger the bug.

- Sometimes, simply setting predictable cookie values or manipulating URL parameters can accomplish the bypass.

References

- Official HPE Aruba advisory: Aruba Security Advisory ARUBA-PSA-2022-012
- National Vulnerability Database: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-37913
- CVE page: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-37913
- Security news detail: BleepingComputer: Unauthenticated Aruba Orchestrator Access

Upgrade Immediately to the latest recommended version.

2. Do not expose the Orchestrator interface to the internet. Restrict network access using firewalls or VPNs.
3. Regularly review user accounts and logs for any suspicious access—especially failed or unexpected logins.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-37913 represents a critical risk for anyone relying on Aruba EdgeConnect Orchestrator. The ability for an unauthenticated attacker to take full control is a worst-case scenario for network security. Patching and basic network hygiene are your best defense. Stay safe out there—and always keep your management interfaces tightly locked down and up to date.

Timeline

Published on: 10/28/2022 02:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/01/2022 15:54:00 UTC