Cyber Resilience

CVE-2016-20017

RCE in Dlink Dsl-2750B Firmware ≤ 1.05

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedPublic PoCRCECommand Injection
Published
19 October 2022
Modified
05 November 2025
KEV Added
08 January 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.65 99.2th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2016-20017 is a critical-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Dlink Dsl-2750B Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.8% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

D-Link DSL-2750B devices running firmware versions prior to 1.05 contain a command injection vulnerability in the login.cgi endpoint. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2016-20017 and assigned CWE-77, permits unauthenticated remote attackers to supply arbitrary commands through the cli parameter, resulting in a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8.

An attacker with network access to the WAN or LAN interface can submit a crafted HTTP request to login.cgi and execute operating-system commands without credentials. Successful exploitation grants full control over the device, including the ability to read or modify configuration data, install persistent malware, or use the router as an entry point into attached networks.

D-Link published security announcement SAP10088 and made firmware version 1.05 available to address the issue. Public references also include exploit code on Exploit-DB and multiple Full Disclosure postings that document the injection vector.

The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild between 2016 and 2022.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

D-Link DSL-2750B devices before 1.05 allow remote unauthenticated command injection via the login.cgi cli parameter, as exploited in the wild in 2016 through 2022.

CWE(s)
CWE-77
KEV Date Added
08 January 2024

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.008 Network Device CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse scripting or built-in command line interpreters (CLI) on network devices to execute malicious command and payloads.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2020-25079Same vendor: Dlinkboth on KEV
CVE-2024-3273Same vendor: Dlinkboth on KEV
CVE-2025-29635Same vendor: Dlinkboth on KEV
CVE-2015-2051Same vendor: Dlinkboth on KEV
CVE-2024-44381Same vendor: Dlink
CVE-2025-57105Same vendor: Dlink
CVE-2023-43206Same vendor: Dlink
CVE-2024-7436Same vendor: Dlink
CVE-2025-60675Same vendor: Dlink
CVE-2024-23625Same vendor: Dlink

Affected Assets

dlink
dsl-2750b firmware
≤ 1.05

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

A.8.31 Separation of development, test and production environments none match
none

Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.

References