CVE-2020-37097
Published: 03 February 2026
Summary
CVE-2020-37097 is a high-severity Insufficiently Protected Credentials (CWE-522) vulnerability in Edimax Ew-7438Rpn Mini Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 8.7 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 30.3th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and CM-6 (Configuration Settings).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2020-37097 is an information disclosure vulnerability in the Edimax EW-7438RPn WiFi range extender, specifically version 1.13. The flaw occurs in the wlencrypt_wiz.asp file, which exposes sensitive WiFi network configuration details, including the network name (SSID) and plaintext password stored in device configuration variables. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N) and maps to CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials).
The vulnerability can be exploited by remote, unauthenticated attackers with network access to the device and no need for user interaction. By directly accessing the wlencrypt_wiz.asp script, attackers can retrieve the exposed WiFi credentials, enabling them to connect to the protected network or use the information for further attacks.
Advisories and related resources, including the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/edimax-ew-rpn-information-disclosure-wifi-password and a proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB at https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/48365, provide further technical details. The Edimax product page is at https://www.edimax.com/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/global/wi-fi_range_extenders_n300/ew-7438rpn_mini/.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2020-31002
Vulnerability details
Edimax EW-7438RPn 1.13 contains an information disclosure vulnerability that exposes WiFi network configuration details through the wlencrypt_wiz.asp file. Attackers can access the script to retrieve sensitive information including WiFi network name and plaintext password stored in device configuration variables.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Direct unauthenticated access to exposed plaintext WiFi credentials via public web interface (T1190); maps to unsecured credential disclosure (T1552).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces approved authorizations for logical access to prevent unauthenticated retrieval of sensitive WiFi credentials from the wlencrypt_wiz.asp script.
Establishes secure configuration settings that prevent exposure of plaintext WiFi network name and password through unsecured web files.
Identifies, reports, and remediates the specific information disclosure flaw in wlencrypt_wiz.asp to eliminate the vulnerability.