HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2015-9266
CRITICALPOC

CVE-2015-9266

CWE-22Published: September 5, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The web management interface of Ubiquiti airMAX, airFiber, airGateway and EdgeSwitch XP (formerly TOUGHSwitch) allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload and write arbitrary files using directory traversal techniques. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to gain root privileges. This vulnerability is fixed in the following product versions (fixes released in July 2015, all prior versions are affected): airMAX AC 7.1.3; airMAX M (and airRouter) 5.6.2 XM/XW/TI, 5.5.11 XM/TI, and 5.5.10u2 XW; airGateway 1.1.5; airFiber AF24/AF24HD 2.2.1, AF5x 3.0.2.1, and AF5 2.2.1; airOS 4 XS2/XS5 4.0.4; and EdgeSwitch XP (formerly TOUGHSwitch) 1.3.2.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2015-9266 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit exists for CVE-2015-9266. While not yet confirmed in active campaigns, the availability of PoC code increases exploitation risk substantially.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

ubnt3 product(s)
airos 4 xs2airos 4 xs5edgeswitch xp firmware
ui20 product(s)
airmax ac firmwareairmax acairmax m xm firmwareairmax m xmairmax m xw firmwareairmax m xwairmax m ti firmwareairmax m tiairgateway firmwareairgatewayairfiber af24 firmwareairfiber af24+8
Source: NVD CPE · 23 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

POC AVAILABLEProof-of-concept code exists
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Security-Release-for-airMAX-TOUGHSwitch-and-airGateway-Released/ba-p/1300494
PATCHhttps://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Security-Release-for-airMAX-TOUGHSwitch-and-airGateway-Released/ba-p/1300494
ADVISORYhttps://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-General-Discussion/Virus-attack-URGENT-UBNT/td-p/1562940
ADVISORYhttps://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Important-Security-Notice-and-airOS-5-6-5-Release/ba-p/1565949
ADVISORYhttps://hackerone.com/reports/73480
ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39701/
ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39853/
ADVISORYhttps://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/linux/ssh/ubiquiti_airos_file_upload
ADVISORYhttps://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-General-Discussion/Virus-attack-URGENT-UBNT/td-p/1562940
ADVISORYhttps://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Important-Security-Notice-and-airOS-5-6-5-Release/ba-p/1565949
ADVISORYhttps://hackerone.com/reports/73480
ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39701/
ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39853/
ADVISORYhttps://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/linux/ssh/ubiquiti_airos_file_upload

All References (14)

→
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-General-Discussion/Virus-attack-URGENT-UBNT/td-p/1562940Vendor Advisory
→
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Important-Security-Notice-and-airOS-5-6-5-Release/ba-p/1565949Vendor Advisory
→
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Security-Release-for-airMAX-TOUGHSwitch-and-airGateway-Released/ba-p/1300494Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://hackerone.com/reports/73480Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39701/Exploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39853/Exploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/linux/ssh/ubiquiti_airos_file_uploadExploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-General-Discussion/Virus-attack-URGENT-UBNT/td-p/1562940Vendor Advisory
→
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Important-Security-Notice-and-airOS-5-6-5-Release/ba-p/1565949Vendor Advisory
→
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airMAX-Updates-Blog/Security-Release-for-airMAX-TOUGHSwitch-and-airGateway-Released/ba-p/1300494Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://hackerone.com/reports/73480Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39701/Exploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39853/Exploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/linux/ssh/ubiquiti_airos_file_uploadExploit · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2015-9266
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-22
CISA KEVNo
ExploitPOC
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 5, 2018

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CVE-2025-58321
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CVE-2025-9118
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Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2015-9266 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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