A critical security flaw in Aruba's widely deployed wireless hardware has exposed small-to-medium businesses to significant risk. Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) issued an urgent advisory revealing hardcoded administrative credentials in its Aruba Instant On Access Points—plug-and-play Wi-Fi devices popular for their cloud-managed enterprise features like guest networks and traffic segmentation. Tracked as CVE-2025-37103 with a near-maximum CVSS score of 9.8, this vulnerability allows attackers with knowledge of the embedded credentials to bypass authentication entirely and seize administrative control of affected devices.

"Successful exploitation could allow a remote attacker to gain administrative access to the system," HPE stated bluntly in its bulletin.

The Domino Effect of Compromise

Once inside, attackers can manipulate access point configurations, disable security protocols, capture sensitive network traffic, or implant persistent backdoors. The threat escalates when chained with a second high-severity flaw, CVE-2025-37102—an authenticated command injection vulnerability in the device CLI. With initial access via the hardcoded credentials, attackers can execute arbitrary commands to exfiltrate data or deepen network infiltration.

Why This Matters Beyond the CVSS Score

Hardcoded passwords represent a fundamental failure in secure development practices. For IT administrators, this is a nightmare scenario:
- No detection: Attacks bypass standard authentication logs.
- Pervasive risk: Credentials are burned into the firmware, making discovery trivial for threat actors.
- Supply chain ripple effects: Compromised access points become launchpads for targeting downstream business systems.

Discovered by security researcher "ZZ" from Ubisectech Sirius Team, the flaws impact Aruba Instant On Access Points running firmware v3.2.0.1 or earlier. Instant On Switches are unaffected. HPE confirms no active exploits yet but emphasizes that patching cannot wait—especially given the simplicity of exploitation. The sole fix is upgrading to firmware v3.2.1.0 or later; no workarounds exist.

The Silent Alarm for IoT Security

This incident underscores a persistent threat in embedded systems: convenience-focused devices often sacrifice robust security. For developers, it’s a stark reminder to audit third-party components for hardcoded secrets. For businesses relying on "set-and-forget" hardware, it’s proof that continuous firmware vigilance is non-negotiable. As cloud-managed devices proliferate, one default password can fracture an entire network’s defenses. Patching isn’t just maintenance—it’s survival.

Source: BleepingComputer, HPE Security Bulletin (July 2025)