Overview
The cybersecurity world constantly witnesses the emergence of new vulnerabilities that threaten the security and integrity of various systems. One such vulnerability, CVE-2025-52089, poses a significant threat to users of TOTOLINK N300RB firmware version 8.54. This firmware contains a hidden remote support feature that is protected by a static secret. Unfortunately, this feature can be exploited by an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary Operating System (OS) commands with root privileges. The ability to execute these commands could potentially lead to a system compromise or data leakage, putting sensitive information at risk.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-52089
Severity: High (8.8)
Attack Vector: Remote
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
TOTOLINK N300RB Firmware | Version 8.54
How the Exploit Works
An attacker who has successfully authenticated on the vulnerable system can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to the hidden remote support feature. Since this feature is protected by a static secret, the attacker can bypass the security measures and execute arbitrary OS commands with root privileges. This allows the attacker to gain complete control over the system and potentially access, modify, or delete sensitive data.
Conceptual Example Code
Given the nature of this vulnerability, an attacker might exploit it using a HTTP request like the following example:
POST /remote_support HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer static_secret
{ "os_command": "rm -rf /" }In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to the `remote_support` endpoint, which is part of the hidden remote support feature. The `Authorization` header contains the static secret that protects this feature. The body of the request contains a JSON object with a property `os_command` that specifies an arbitrary OS command. In this case, the command `rm -rf /` is a dangerous Unix command that deletes all files from the root directory.
Mitigation
Users of the affected TOTOLINK N300RB firmware version are urged to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible to mitigate this vulnerability. In the interim, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can monitor network traffic for suspicious activity and block malicious requests, making it more difficult for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability.