CVE-2016-5365 in Honor WS851
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in Huawei Honor WS851 routers with software 1.1.21.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges via unspecified vectors, aka HWPSIRT-2016-05051.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2019
The vulnerability CVE-2016-5365 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw discovered in Huawei Honor WS851 routers running firmware versions 1.1.21.1 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the router's web management interface and provides remote attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code with root privileges, effectively compromising the entire device. The flaw stems from improper input validation mechanisms that fail to properly bounds-check user-supplied data before processing it within stack memory allocations. The vulnerability was identified and documented by Huawei's Product Security Incident Response Team under the reference HWPSIRT-2016-05051, highlighting the severity of the issue in enterprise and consumer networking environments.
The technical exploitation of this buffer overflow occurs when remote attackers send specially crafted malicious input to the affected router's web interface through HTTP requests. The vulnerability manifests when the device processes user-supplied parameters without adequate bounds checking, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent stack memory locations with malicious data. This memory corruption enables attackers to manipulate the instruction pointer and redirect execution flow to payload code injected into the stack. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication, making it accessible to anyone who can reach the router's network interface, and the successful exploitation results in full administrative control of the device. The vulnerability falls under CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which is classified as a critical weakness in software security practices, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-5365 extends far beyond simple device compromise, as it enables attackers to establish persistent access to networks through compromised routers. Once exploited, attackers can modify router configurations, redirect traffic through malicious proxies, install backdoors, or use the compromised device as a launching point for further attacks within the local network. The vulnerability affects not just individual devices but can potentially enable large-scale attacks against multiple network segments if numerous affected routers exist within the same network infrastructure. Organizations relying on Huawei Honor WS851 routers for network security may face significant risks including data exfiltration, man-in-the-middle attacks, and complete network compromise. The vulnerability represents a critical threat to network security posture and can undermine the integrity of entire corporate or residential network infrastructures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-5365 require immediate action to address the vulnerability through firmware updates provided by Huawei. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected Huawei Honor WS851 routers to firmware versions that contain patches for this buffer overflow vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of affected devices to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider disabling unnecessary web management interfaces and implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular firmware updates and security assessments for network infrastructure devices, particularly those with exposed web interfaces that may be targeted by remote attackers. Organizations should also implement network access controls and firewall rules to restrict access to router management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only.