Overview
A significant security vulnerability, CVE-2025-44643, has been identified in certain products from DrayTek, a manufacturer of network equipment. The vulnerability arises from an insecure configuration in the ripd.conf configuration file that sets a weak hardcoded password. This has been found to impact DrayTek’s AP903 v1.4.18, AP912C v1.4.9, and AP918R v1.4.9 products. This issue is of grave concern as any attacker with network access could exploit this loophole to gain unauthorized control over the routing daemon, potentially altering network routes or intercepting traffic.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-44643
Severity: High (8.6 CVSS Severity Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Unauthorized control over the routing daemon, potential system compromise, and data leakage
Affected Products
Escape the Surveillance Era
Most apps won’t tell you the truth.
They’re part of the problem.
Phone numbers. Emails. Profiles. Logs.
It’s all fuel for surveillance.
Ameeba Chat gives you a way out.
- • No phone number
- • No email
- • No personal info
- • Anonymous aliases
- • End-to-end encrypted
Chat without a trace.
Product | Affected Versions
DrayTek AP903 | v1.4.18
DrayTek AP912C | v1.4.9
DrayTek AP918R | v1.4.9
How the Exploit Works
The insecure configuration vulnerability exploits the setting of the password property in the ripd.conf configuration file. This file sets a hardcoded weak password, thereby posing a security risk. An attacker with network access can leverage this vulnerability by exploiting the weak password to gain unauthorized access to the routing daemon. Once the attacker gains control over the routing daemon, they can manipulate network routes or intercept network traffic, potentially leading to system compromise and data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
A conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited could be an attacker using a network scanning tool to identify devices with the vulnerable DrayTek versions. Once identified, they could utilize the hardcoded weak password to gain unauthorized access. A pseudo command might look like this:
nmap -sV --script=vuln target_network
ssh root@target_device_ip
password: hardcoded_weak_password
# Now the attacker has control of the routing daemonIt should be noted that the above is a hypothetical example and does not represent actual exploit code.
Mitigation Guidance
DrayTek users are advised to apply the vendor patch immediately to mitigate this vulnerability. As a temporary measure, users can also use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to detect and prevent potential attacks. Regularly updating and patching network devices and refraining from using hardcoded passwords are also recommended.