Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-39617

RCE in Totolink X5000R Firmware 9.1.0cu.2089_b20211224 … 9.1.0cu.2350_b20230313

Public PoCRCECommand Injection
Published
21 August 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
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 0.014 70th percentile
Risk Priority 79 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-39617 is a critical-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Totolink X5000R 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 30% 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.

TOTOLINK X5000R routers running firmware versions V9.1.0cu.2089_B20211224 and V9.1.0cu.2350_B20230313 contain a remote code execution vulnerability in the setLanguageCfg function. The flaw is triggered by unsanitized input to the lang parameter and is tracked as CWE-77, resulting in a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8 that reflects network-accessible command injection without authentication or user interaction.

An attacker with network reachability can submit a crafted lang value to the affected endpoint and obtain arbitrary command execution on the device. Successful exploitation grants full control over the router, allowing an adversary to read or modify configuration data, intercept traffic, or pivot into attached networks.

The two referenced disclosures consist of identical Notion pages that describe the issue but supply no vendor advisory, firmware update, or mitigation guidance. The associated EPSS score has remained flat at 0.0784 with no observable increase after publication.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

TOTOLINK X5000R_V9.1.0cu.2089_B20211224 and X5000R_V9.1.0cu.2350_B20230313 were discovered to contain a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability via the lang parameter in the setLanguageCfg function.

CWE(s)
CWE-77

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-2024-32355Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2023-33487Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2023-33486Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2025-25604Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2024-32353Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2025-25605Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2023-39618Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2023-31569Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2024-32349Same product: Totolink X5000R
CVE-2024-32354Same product: Totolink X5000R

Affected Assets

totolink
x5000r firmware
9.1.0cu.2089_b20211224, 9.1.0cu.2350_b20230313

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