Cyber Resilience

CVE-2022-36553

RCE in Hytec Hwl-2511-Ss Firmware ≤ 1.05

Published
29 August 2022
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / 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 0.91 99.8th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2022-36553 is a critical-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Hytec Hwl-2511-Ss Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 0.2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

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

Hytec Inter HWL-2511-SS firmware versions 1.05 and earlier contain a command injection vulnerability in the /www/cgi-bin/popen.cgi component, tracked as CVE-2022-36553 and assigned CWE-77. The flaw received a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction, with full impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can supply crafted input to the affected CGI endpoint and execute arbitrary operating-system commands on the device. Successful exploitation grants complete control over the wireless LAN controller, enabling actions such as configuration changes, data exfiltration, or deployment of persistent malware.

The supplied references consist of a public gist containing technical details and vendor product pages; none of the listed URLs describe official patches, firmware updates, or mitigation steps. The associated EPSS score remains elevated, with a current value of 0.9361 and a recorded peak of 0.9370.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Hytec Inter HWL-2511-SS v1.05 and below was discovered to contain a command injection vulnerability via the component /www/cgi-bin/popen.cgi.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Accessconfidence: HIGH
Unauthenticated remote command injection via a public-facing CGI endpoint directly enables exploitation of a public-facing application.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Executionconfidence: HIGH
Successful exploitation results in arbitrary operating-system command execution on the device.
T1505.003 Web Shell Persistenceconfidence: MEDIUM
Full device control obtained via the CGI flaw can be used to install a web shell for persistent remote access.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-32353Shared CWE-77
CVE-2023-31531Shared CWE-77
CVE-2026-32063Shared CWE-77
CVE-2025-37133Shared CWE-77
CVE-2026-31162Shared CWE-77
CVE-2026-30461Shared CWE-77
CVE-2024-51114Shared CWE-77
CVE-2023-27135Shared CWE-77
CVE-2016-20017Shared CWE-77
CVE-2024-44382Shared CWE-77

Affected Assets

hytec
hwl-2511-ss firmware
≤ 1.05

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • SI-10 Information Input Validation
  • AC-3 Access Enforcement
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
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 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly blocks the crafted input supplied to popen.cgi that enables unauthenticated OS command injection.

prevent

Enforces authentication and authorization checks before any request reaches the vulnerable CGI endpoint.

prevent

Limits privileges of the web-server or CGI process so that even a successful injection yields minimal device control.

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.

prevents

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

detects

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

prevents

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

prevents

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

prevents

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

none

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

References