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CriticalVulnerabilityCVE-2026-79857updated 25 Oct 2026, 16:50 UTC

Aruba AOS-8 controller lets unauthenticated attackers run commands via PAPI

Attackers on the network can send specially crafted messages to certain Aruba AOS-8 devices and take control of them without logging in. The device can then be used to run any command as an administrator.

Official, 2 sources
SeverityCriticalCVSS 9.8 of 10
Being exploited?UnclearNo reports either way yet
Fix available?UnclearNo fixed version published in the sources yet
How sure is this?Official, 2 sourcesBacked by an official source

How the attack works simplified

  1. 1Attacker on networkSends crafted packets without credentials
  2. 2PAPI UDP portProtocol accepts malicious input
  3. 3Command injectionInput is passed to the system shell
  4. 4Code runs as rootAttacker gets privileged OS access
  5. ResultAttacker controls the controller

What happened

A command injection flaw in the PAPI protocol (Aruba's access point management protocol) of AOS-8 allows unauthenticated remote code execution as a privileged user, triggered by crafted packets sent to the affected UDP port.

Why it is dangerous: An attacker who reaches the device over the network gets full control of the underlying operating system, which can expose the wireless network, its traffic, and connected systems. Organizations running Aruba AOS-8 wireless controllers that accept PAPI traffic are at risk.

Are you affected?

You are affected if you run Aruba AOS-8 software with the PAPI service reachable on its UDP port from a network an attacker can reach.

Aruba AOS-8 (affected versions not specified in the provided material)

What to do

  1. Check the official Aruba/HPE security advisory for the patched AOS-8 version and update to it
  2. Restrict access to the PAPI UDP port so only trusted access points and management hosts can reach it
  3. Review devices for signs of unexpected commands or configuration changes until patched

Timeline

  1. 22 Oct 2026, 19:17 UTC
    Publicly disclosed
  2. 22 Oct 2026, 19:17 UTC
    Reported by NVD · NVD
  3. 25 Oct 2026, 16:50 UTC
    GitHub Advisory reported on it · GitHub Advisory

Sources 2 reports, oldest first

Official vendor, government CERT or advisory database

Technical details

ID
CVE-2026-79857 · GHSA-jxwv-g6wc-gh7x
CVSS
9.8 / 10
EPSS
1.4% chance of exploitation within 30 days
Disclosed
22 Oct 2026, 19:17 UTC
On Zero Radar
before the radar started
Last change
25 Oct 2026, 16:50 UTC

The plain-language parts and the attack diagram were written by an AI model (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5) from the sources above. Facts like versions, exploitation and dates come from the sources themselves. How Zero Radar works

Aruba AOS-8 controller lets unauthenticated attackers run commands via PAPI · Zero Radar