CVE-2023-38031 in RT-AC86U
Summary
by MITRE • 09/07/2023
ASUS RT-AC86U Adaptive QoS - Web History function has insufficient filtering of special character. A remote attacker with regular user privilege can exploit this vulnerability to perform command injection attack to execute arbitrary commands, disrupt system or terminate services.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-38031 affects ASUS RT-AC86U routers with Adaptive QoS functionality and specifically targets the Web History feature. This issue represents a critical security flaw that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected device. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the web interface handling of user-supplied data, creating a pathway for command injection attacks that can compromise the entire network infrastructure.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient filtering of special characters within the Web History function's input processing. When users interact with the Adaptive QoS web interface, the system fails to properly sanitize user-provided data before processing it, allowing malicious payloads to be interpreted as executable commands rather than benign input. This weakness aligns with CWE-77 which describes improper neutralization of special elements used in commands, and represents a classic command injection vulnerability that can be exploited through web-based interfaces. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only regular user privileges to exploit, meaning that an attacker does not need elevated administrative access to compromise the device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple command execution to potentially disrupt network services and compromise system integrity. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary commands that may include system shell commands, file manipulation, network scanning, or even persistent backdoor installation. The disruption potential includes service termination, network outages, and complete system compromise that could affect all devices connected to the compromised router's network. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for malicious file execution, demonstrating how an initial foothold can quickly escalate to full system control.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate firmware updates from ASUS, which typically address the input sanitization issues through proper validation and encoding of user-supplied data. Network administrators should implement additional security controls including firewall rules to restrict access to the router's web interface, enable two-factor authentication where possible, and monitor network traffic for suspicious command execution patterns. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation at multiple layers within web applications, emphasizing the need for proper encoding and sanitization of all user inputs before processing. Organizations should conduct regular security assessments of network infrastructure devices to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other router models or network equipment. Given the nature of the flaw, it is recommended that all affected ASUS RT-AC86U devices be updated immediately and that network segmentation be implemented to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts.