CVE-2025-29870: Wi-Fi AP AC-WPS-11ac Authentication Bypass

CVE-2025-29870 Overview

CVE-2025-29870 is a missing authentication for critical function vulnerability (CWE-306) affecting the Inaba Wi-Fi AP UNIT 'AC-WPS-11ac series' wireless access points. The vulnerability allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to access critical device functionality without proper authentication, potentially obtaining product configuration information including sensitive authentication credentials.

This vulnerability represents a significant security risk in network infrastructure devices, as wireless access points often serve as critical components in enterprise and industrial network environments. The ability to extract authentication information without any credentials could enable attackers to gain deeper access to network resources or perform further attacks against the compromised infrastructure.

Critical Impact

Remote unauthenticated attackers can obtain product configuration information including authentication credentials, potentially leading to full device compromise and network infiltration.

Affected Products

• Inaba Wi-Fi AP UNIT AC-WPS-11ac series

Discovery Timeline

• April 9, 2025 - CVE-2025-29870 published to NVD
• April 15, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-29870

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from a missing authentication mechanism for critical functions within the Inaba AC-WPS-11ac series Wi-Fi access points. The affected devices expose sensitive administrative or configuration endpoints without requiring proper authentication, allowing any network-adjacent or remote attacker to access protected resources.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function), which describes scenarios where an application does not perform authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources. In the context of network infrastructure devices like wireless access points, this type of flaw is particularly dangerous as it can expose the entire network topology and credential store to attackers.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without requiring any user interaction or prior authentication. Upon successful exploitation, an attacker gains access to confidential configuration data, resulting in a complete compromise of the device's stored secrets and potentially enabling lateral movement within the network.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-29870 is the absence of proper authentication checks on critical device functions within the AC-WPS-11ac firmware. The device fails to verify user identity before providing access to configuration endpoints that contain sensitive information such as authentication credentials, network settings, and device parameters. This oversight in the access control implementation allows unauthenticated requests to retrieve protected data.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based and does not require any prerequisites such as valid credentials or user interaction. An attacker with network access to the vulnerable device can directly query critical functions to retrieve configuration information.

The exploitation process involves:

1. Identifying vulnerable Inaba AC-WPS-11ac series devices on the network through service enumeration
2. Accessing unprotected administrative or configuration endpoints without authentication
3. Extracting sensitive configuration data including authentication credentials
4. Using obtained credentials for further attacks or unauthorized access to the network

Due to the network-accessible nature of wireless access points, devices exposed to untrusted networks or the internet face heightened risk. The attack complexity is low, requiring no special conditions or sophisticated techniques to exploit.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-29870

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or unauthorized access attempts to device configuration endpoints from unexpected IP addresses
• Increased network traffic to/from the wireless access point management interfaces
• Configuration changes or credential resets that were not initiated by administrators
• Log entries showing configuration data retrieval without corresponding authentication events

Detection Strategies

• Monitor network traffic for unauthenticated requests to the AC-WPS-11ac management interface
• Implement network segmentation to detect and alert on unauthorized access attempts to management VLANs
• Deploy intrusion detection signatures to identify exploitation attempts against known vulnerable endpoints
• Review access point logs for configuration query patterns that bypass normal authentication flows

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging on all Inaba AC-WPS-11ac series devices and forward logs to a centralized SIEM
• Configure alerts for any configuration access events that occur without successful authentication
• Establish baseline network behavior for management interface traffic and alert on anomalies
• Regularly audit device configurations to detect unauthorized changes that may indicate prior compromise

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-29870

Immediate Actions Required

• Isolate affected Inaba AC-WPS-11ac series devices on a dedicated management VLAN with strict access controls
• Implement firewall rules to restrict access to device management interfaces to trusted administrator IP addresses only
• Audit and rotate all credentials stored on affected devices, assuming potential compromise
• Review network logs for any signs of prior exploitation attempts
• Apply vendor-provided firmware updates as soon as they become available

Patch Information

Inaba has released security information regarding this vulnerability. Administrators should consult the Inaba Security Update PDF for official guidance on available patches and firmware updates. Additional technical details are available in the JVN Vulnerability Report.

It is critical to apply vendor-provided security updates promptly to address this authentication bypass vulnerability and protect network infrastructure.

Workarounds

• Restrict network access to the device management interface using firewall rules or ACLs to allow only trusted administrator IP addresses
• Place the device management interface on an isolated management network not accessible from general user networks
• Enable VPN or jump host requirements for all administrative access to affected devices
• Disable remote management functionality if not required and manage devices through physical console access only
• Monitor for and block any suspicious traffic patterns targeting the device's administrative functions

# Example firewall rule to restrict management access (adjust for your environment)
# Allow management access only from trusted admin subnet
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 192.168.100.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 192.168.100.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP