Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-1458

RCE in Ui Edgerouter X Firmware 2.0.9

Published
25 March 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
CVSS Score v3.1 7.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.033 87th percentile
Risk Priority 61 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-1458 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Ui Edgerouter X Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 7.2 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 13% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV 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.

CVE-2023-1458 is a command-injection vulnerability affecting the OSPF Handler component in Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X firmware version 2.0.9-hotfix.6. The flaw resides in the handling of the “area” argument and is tracked as CWE-77; it received a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.2 reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and high-privileged authentication requirements.

An authenticated remote attacker who can supply a crafted “area” value can execute arbitrary operating-system commands on the device, resulting in full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Public exploit code has been disclosed, although the vulnerability’s real-world existence remains disputed and the vendor maintains that post-authentication issues are outside its vulnerability-handling policy.

EPSS for the CVE has remained flat at 0.0862 with no material increase since disclosure, indicating limited observed exploitation interest to date. The primary references are Vuldb entries that reiterate the vendor’s stance and do not describe official patches or configuration work-arounds.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A vulnerability has been found in Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X 2.0.9-hotfix.6 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the component OSPF Handler. The manipulation of the argument area leads to command injection. The attack can…

more

be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The real existence of this vulnerability is still doubted at the moment. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-223303. NOTE: The vendor position is that post-authentication issues are not accepted as vulnerabilities.

CWE(s)

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.
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.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
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.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-1457Same product: Ui Edgerouter X
CVE-2023-1456Same product: Ui Edgerouter X
CVE-2024-42025Same vendor: Ui
CVE-2010-5330Same vendor: Ui
CVE-2023-38034Same vendor: Ui
CVE-2026-21638Same vendor: Ui
CVE-2026-21639Same vendor: Ui
CVE-2026-54402Same vendor: Ui
CVE-2023-28365Same vendor: Ui
CVE-2023-2375Same vendor: Ui

Affected Assets

ui
edgerouter x firmware
2.0.9

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.

prevents

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

finds

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