Overview
A critical vulnerability has been discovered in Tenda AC18 version 15.03.05.05, a popular router used by millions of people worldwide. This vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-5607, affects the function formSetPPTPUserList in the file /goform/setPptpUserList. By manipulating the argument list, an attacker can trigger a buffer overflow condition, which can lead to potential system compromise or data leakage. As the vulnerability can be exploited remotely and the detailed exploit has been publically disclosed, it poses a severe threat to any individual or organization using the vulnerable versions of the device.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-5607
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System Compromise, Data Leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Tenda AC18 | 15.03.05.05
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability resides in the formSetPPTPUserList function of the /goform/setPptpUserList file. An attacker can manipulate the argument list passed to this function leading to a buffer overflow. This overflow can overwrite crucial parts of the memory, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code or disrupt the normal functioning of the device. The attack can be initiated remotely without requiring any user interaction, making this a highly critical vulnerability.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a hypothetical HTTP POST request, where the attacker sends a specially crafted JSON payload to the vulnerable endpoint:
POST /goform/setPptpUserList HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"argList": "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..."
}In this example, the ‘argList’ value is filled with an excessive number of ‘A’ characters, causing a buffer overflow.
Mitigation
Users of Tenda AC18 version 15.03.05.05 are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible. If the patch is not available, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation. These measures can detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability until a more permanent solution is applied.