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CVE-2025-0528: High Vulnerability in Tenda AC8, AC10 and AC18

A critical command injection vulnerability has been identified in Tenda AC8, AC10, and AC18 firmware versions. Organizations must address this issue promptly as it could allow remote exploitation. Immediate patching is recommended.

HIGHCVSS 8.6 · Published January 17, 2025

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A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Tenda AC8, AC10 and AC18 16.03.10.20. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the file /goform/telnet of the component HTTP Request Handler. The manipulation leads to command injection. The attack may be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used.

The severity of this vulnerability is high, as indicated by the CVSS score of 8.6. This highlights the potential risks associated with the exploitation of this flaw. Risk to organizations includes unauthorized command execution, potentially compromising the security and integrity of the affected devices.

Organizations should prioritize patching immediately. The vulnerability affects the firmware versions of Tenda devices, and timely remediation is crucial to mitigate the risks posed by this vulnerability.

Given the ease with which this vulnerability could be exploited remotely, organizations utilizing these Tenda devices must evaluate their exposure and take appropriate measures to secure their networks.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability allows for command injection via the HTTP request handler. The affected product includes Tenda AC8, AC10, and AC18 devices running firmware version 16.03.10.20, published on January 17, 2025. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')), and CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')).

The attack vector is network-based, requiring high privileges but no user interaction. The consequences include high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Technical Analysis

The root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the HTTP request handler. Attackers may leverage this vulnerability remotely to execute arbitrary commands on the device, significantly compromising the security posture of affected networks.

The attack complexity is low, and the attacker requires high privileges to initiate the exploit. No user interaction is necessary for the attack to succeed. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system are all at high risk due to this vulnerability.

Risk & Impact Analysis

Real-world deployment risk is significant, as this vulnerability affects widely used Tenda devices. The potential blast radius is broad, as many organizations may be using these vulnerable products in critical infrastructure.

Organizations must understand why this matters: the exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and disruption of services. Given the high CVSS score and the fact that this vulnerability is publicly known, attackers may actively seek to exploit it.

With an EPSS score of 0.00916, this vulnerability is in the 76th percentile, indicating a relatively higher likelihood of exploitation. Organizations should address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle.

Exploitation Status

Signal

Status

Known Exploit

No

Public PoC

No

Actively Exploited

No

Ransomware Use

No

Affected Versions

The vulnerability affects the following firmware versions:

Tenda AC8 firmware version 16.03.10.20, Tenda AC10 firmware version 16.03.10.20, and Tenda AC18 firmware version 16.03.10.20. Organizations using these versions should upgrade or mitigate their exposure.

Mitigation & Remediation

Organizations should prioritize obtaining the latest firmware updates from Tenda. If a patch is not immediately available, consider implementing network segmentation to limit access to vulnerable devices.

In addition, organizations may explore configuration hardening techniques to restrict unauthorized access and monitor for unusual activity on affected devices.

For continuous security, organizations should engage in continuous security testing to identify and address vulnerabilities proactively.

Detection Guidance

To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor logs for any unusual commands executed via the /goform/telnet endpoint.

Additionally, watch for behavioral anomalies in network traffic and system changes that are indicative of unauthorized access.

AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight

This vulnerability represents a significant threat to users of Tenda's networking devices. It highlights the importance of penetration testing as a critical component of security posture enhancement.

Security teams should take this incident as a learning opportunity to improve their security measures and consider leveraging services like red teaming to simulate attacks and proactively identify vulnerabilities.

Regular updates and awareness of emerging vulnerabilities, such as this command injection flaw, are essential for maintaining a robust security posture. Organizations should also consider developing a vulnerability management program that focuses on identifying and addressing such risks promptly.

Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.

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