CVE-2026-49188 in Connect M6E 5G Portable WiFi Router
Summary
by MITRE • 06/04/2026
The ai_cmd utility executes with full root permissions. It pipes socket inputs directly to popen(), paving the way for unauthenticated users to execute arbitrary root commands.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2026
The ai_cmd utility represents a critical privilege escalation vulnerability where the application executes with full root permissions, creating an inherent security risk that can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers. This utility demonstrates a fundamental flaw in privilege management and input handling that directly violates security best practices. The vulnerability arises from the utility's design pattern of piping socket inputs directly to popen() function calls, which essentially allows any user with network access to inject arbitrary commands that will execute with root privileges. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability that has been exacerbated by the elevated privilege context in which it operates. The flaw creates a pathway for remote code execution at the highest system level, effectively granting attackers complete control over the affected system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the ai_cmd utility. When socket inputs are piped directly to popen() without adequate filtering or escaping, the system processes these inputs as shell commands rather than data. This behavior aligns with CWE-78, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands, and CWE-20, which covers improper input validation. The popen() function treats the input as a command string that gets executed by the underlying shell, creating an environment where attacker-controlled input can be transformed into arbitrary system commands. This vulnerability operates at the intersection of command injection and privilege escalation, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where network access is not strictly controlled.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple command execution, as it provides attackers with complete system compromise capabilities. Unauthenticated users can leverage this vulnerability to execute any command with root privileges, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system modification, privilege escalation to other users, or even system persistence mechanisms. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication, making it accessible to anyone who can establish a network connection to the affected service. This vulnerability can be exploited in various attack scenarios including lateral movement within networks, data theft, or system destruction, and it represents a significant risk to system integrity and confidentiality. The impact is amplified when considering that the utility likely serves as a legitimate system interface, making the exploitation less obvious to security monitoring systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate security flaw and the underlying architectural issues that enabled the vulnerability. The most critical remediation involves removing or properly sanitizing input before passing it to popen() or similar functions, implementing proper command validation, and reducing the utility's privilege level where possible. Organizations should implement principle of least privilege by ensuring that utilities like ai_cmd do not run with root permissions unless absolutely necessary. The solution should include input validation that prevents command injection attacks, proper escaping of special characters, and potentially switching from popen() to safer alternatives that do not execute shell commands directly. Additionally, implementing network-level controls such as firewall rules to restrict access to the ai_cmd utility, using network segmentation, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious command execution patterns can provide layered defense. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security audits and code reviews to identify similar privilege escalation patterns and command injection flaws that may exist in other system components, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation and T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreters.