Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-46454

RCE in Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M Firmware 4.3.7

RCECommand Injection
Published
12 December 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 0.23 98th percentile
Risk Priority 85 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-46454 is a critical-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M 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 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

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-2023-46454 is a command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) affecting GL.iNET GL-AR300M routers running firmware version 4.3.7. The issue resides in the package information functionality, where an attacker-supplied package name is not properly sanitized before being passed to a shell command, enabling arbitrary command execution.

The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 and can be exploited remotely by unauthenticated attackers over the network with no user interaction required. Successful exploitation grants the attacker full control over the device, allowing arbitrary code execution that can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The referenced technical write-up details the flaw alongside other issues in GL.iNET products but does not describe vendor patches or specific mitigation steps. The associated EPSS score has remained flat at 0.1567 with no material increase since disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In GL.iNET GL-AR300M routers with firmware v4.3.7, it is possible to inject arbitrary shell commands through a crafted package name in the package information functionality.

CWE(s)
CWE-78

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

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-46456Same product: Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M
CVE-2023-46455Same product: Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M
CVE-2023-24261Same vendor: Gl-Inet
CVE-2023-29778Same vendor: Gl-Inet
CVE-2024-39228Same vendor: Gl-Inet
CVE-2023-50445Same product: Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M
CVE-2023-31473Same product: Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M
CVE-2024-0292Shared CWE-78
CVE-2023-40479Shared CWE-78
CVE-2025-33206Shared CWE-78

Affected Assets

gl-inet
gl-ar300m firmware
4.3.7

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)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

SC-27 Platform-independent Applications
addresses: CWE-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

SI-10 Information Input Validation
addresses: CWE-78

Validates inputs to block special elements that would alter OS command execution.

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

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).

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.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.

References