CVE-2023-50919
Published: 12 January 2024
Summary
CVE-2023-50919 is a critical-severity Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Gl-Inet Gl-Ax1800 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 2.0% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2023-50919 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the NGINX web server configuration on GL.iNet routers running firmware versions prior to 4.5.0. The root cause is flawed Lua string pattern matching that permits requests to evade intended access controls. Affected devices include the A1300, AX1800, AXT1800, MT3000, MT2500, and MT6000 at 4.4.6 as well as the MT1300, MT300N-V2, AR750S, AR750, AR300M, and B1300 at 4.3.7. The issue is tracked under CWE-287 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8.
An unauthenticated attacker with network access can exploit the bypass to reach administrative interfaces and execute arbitrary commands on the device. Public proof-of-concept material demonstrates that the flaw leads directly to remote command execution without requiring credentials or user interaction.
Advisories and exploit repositories, including the GL.iNet GitHub disclosure and Packet Storm entries, document the authentication bypass and associated remote command execution paths; the vendor indicates remediation in firmware 4.5.0 and later. The EPSS score has remained at 0.5226 with no material upward trajectory after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-55650
Vulnerability details
An issue was discovered on GL.iNet devices before version 4.5.0. There is an NGINX authentication bypass via Lua string pattern matching. This affects A1300 4.4.6, AX1800 4.4.6, AXT1800 4.4.6, MT3000 4.4.6, MT2500 4.4.6, MT6000 4.5.0, MT1300 4.3.7, MT300N-V2 4.3.7, AR750S…
more
4.3.7, AR750 4.3.7, AR300M 4.3.7, and B1300 4.3.7.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
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.
Detects unauthorized successful logons resulting from improper authentication implementations.
Documented procedures ensure personnel are trained on authentication mechanisms, tangibly lowering the risk of improper authentication being exploited.
Security awareness training instructs users on secure authentication practices and avoiding credential compromise.
Training on authentication mechanisms and best practices decreases the occurrence of improper authentication.
Non-repudiation requires strong authentication mechanisms to irrefutably attribute performed actions to specific individuals or processes.
Session content review can reveal authentication bypasses or failures in session establishment.
Review of authentication-related audit records can detect improper authentication mechanisms or bypasses.
Assessments check authentication mechanisms for correct implementation and effectiveness, reducing successful authentication bypass attempts.