CVE-2023-25210
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-25210 is a critical stack overflow vulnerability in Tenda AC5 routers that allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code by sending crafted payloads to the fromSetSysTime function. This affects all users running vulnerable firmware versions of Tenda AC5 routers. Attackers can potentially gain full control of affected devices.
💻 Affected Systems
- Tenda AC5 router
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete device compromise, persistence installation, network pivoting, and data exfiltration
Likely Case
Denial of service causing router crashes and network disruption, potentially followed by malware deployment
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and firewall rules blocking external access to management interfaces
🎯 Exploit Status
Public proof-of-concept available on GitHub. Exploitation requires sending crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Tenda website for latest firmware
Vendor Advisory: Not publicly available
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Visit Tenda support website 2. Download latest firmware for AC5 3. Log into router admin panel 4. Navigate to System Tools > Firmware Upgrade 5. Upload and install new firmware 6. Reboot router
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable remote management
allPrevent external access to router management interface
Network segmentation
allIsolate router management interface to trusted network segment
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Replace affected devices with patched or alternative models
- Implement strict firewall rules blocking all external access to router management interfaces
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check firmware version in router admin panel under System Status or System ToolsCheck Version:
Login to router web interface and check System Status pageVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version is newer than US_AC5V1.0RTL_V15.03.06.28📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed HTTP requests to /goform/setSysTime
- Router crash/reboot logs
- Unusual process execution
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to /goform/setSysTime with large payloads
- Unusual traffic to router management port
SIEM Query:
source="router_logs" AND (uri_path="/goform/setSysTime" OR event="crash" OR event="reboot")