CVE-2018-10824 in DWR-116
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered on D-Link DWR-116 through 1.06, DIR-140L through 1.02, DIR-640L through 1.02, DWR-512 through 2.02, DWR-712 through 2.02, DWR-912 through 2.02, DWR-921 through 2.02, and DWR-111 through 1.01 devices. The administrative password is stored in plaintext in the /tmp/csman/0 file. An attacker having a directory traversal (or LFI) can easily get full router access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10824 represents a critical security flaw affecting multiple D-Link wireless router models including the DWR-116, DIR-140L, DIR-640L, and several others. This issue stems from poor configuration management practices where administrative credentials are persistently stored in an unencrypted format within the router's filesystem. The specific location of the plaintext password storage at /tmp/csman/0 creates a significant exposure point that can be exploited by malicious actors with minimal technical expertise. The vulnerability manifests through directory traversal or local file inclusion attacks that allow unauthorized users to access sensitive configuration data.
This weakness directly maps to CWE-312 (CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-200 (CWE-200: Information Exposure) within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The flaw essentially provides attackers with immediate administrative access to affected devices, enabling them to manipulate network configurations, modify firewall rules, change DNS settings, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability undermines the fundamental security posture of network infrastructure devices and represents a critical failure in secure credential handling practices.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is particularly concerning as it requires only a directory traversal or local file inclusion exploit to gain access to the plaintext administrative password. Once obtained, attackers can fully compromise the router's administrative interface, effectively taking complete control of the network device. This access level allows for advanced persistent threat activities including network reconnaissance, man-in-the-middle attacks, and potential lateral movement within the network. The impact extends beyond individual device compromise to potentially affect entire network infrastructures, especially in enterprise environments where multiple D-Link routers may be deployed.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including disabling unnecessary services, implementing network segmentation, and applying firmware updates from D-Link when available. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure configuration management and proper credential handling practices in embedded systems. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious access patterns and ensure that administrative interfaces are not directly exposed to untrusted networks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability enables multiple techniques including credential access through legitimate credentials and privilege escalation within the network environment.