Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-46455

Path Traversal in Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M Firmware 4.3.7

Published
12 December 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.47 99th percentile
Risk Priority 78 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-46455 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 1% 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-2023-46455 is a path traversal vulnerability, tracked under CWE-22, that affects the OpenVPN client file upload functionality in GL.iNET GL-AR300M routers running firmware version 4.3.7. The flaw permits an attacker to write arbitrary files on the device and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and high integrity impact without requiring authentication or user interaction.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the issue by submitting a crafted file upload request that traverses directories, enabling the placement of malicious files on the router filesystem and thereby compromising device integrity.

The EPSS score for this CVE reached a peak of 0.5089 on 2025-12-11 before receding to the current value of 0.4011. Public references include a technical analysis at cyberaz0r.info detailing multiple GL.iNET issues and the vendor site at gl-inet.com.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In GL.iNET GL-AR300M routers with firmware v4.3.7 it is possible to write arbitrary files through a path traversal attack in the OpenVPN client file upload functionality.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

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.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-31477Same product: Gl-Inet Gl-Ar300M
CVE-2023-47464Same vendor: Gl-Inet
CVE-2024-45262Same vendor: Gl-Inet
CVE-2024-39226Same vendor: Gl-Inet
CVE-2025-21048Shared CWE-22
CVE-2026-23939Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-7145Shared CWE-22
CVE-2023-42225Shared CWE-22
CVE-2024-33109Shared CWE-22
CVE-2023-35016Shared CWE-22

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)
  • V5.3.2

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.

addresses: CWE-22

Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.

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-02 partial match
prevents

Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.

PR.AA-05 none match
prevents

PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.

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.

finds

Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.

prevents

Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.

prevents

Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.

References