Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-52040

RCE in Totolink X6000R Firmware 9.4.0cu.852_b20230719

Public PoCRCECommand Injection
Published
24 January 2024
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 0.0085 55th percentile
Risk Priority 79 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-52040 is a critical-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Totolink X6000R 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 45% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

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-2023-52040 is a command injection vulnerability affecting the TOTOLINK X6000R wireless router running firmware version v9.4.0cu.852_B20230719. The flaw resides in the sub_41284C function and is tracked under CWE-77, enabling unauthenticated remote attackers to supply crafted input that results in arbitrary operating system command execution. It received a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction.

An attacker with network access to the device can directly invoke the vulnerable function to execute arbitrary commands. Successful exploitation grants complete control over the router, allowing modification of configuration, interception of traffic, installation of persistent malware, or use of the device as a pivot point into attached networks.

The EPSS score for this CVE remained low immediately after disclosure but rose materially to a peak of 0.0727 on 2025-01-22 before receding to its current value of 0.0010, indicating a period of increased exploitation interest roughly one year after publication. Public references consist of technical write-ups hosted on GitHub that demonstrate the issue but contain no vendor advisory or patch information.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An issue discovered in TOTOLINK X6000R v9.4.0cu.852_B20230719 allows attackers to run arbitrary commands via the sub_41284C function.

CWE(s)
CWE-77CWE-253

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-2023-46409Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-48801Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-46417Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2025-52053Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-46485Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-46484Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-52042Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-46424Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-46415Same product: Totolink X6000R
CVE-2023-46416Same product: Totolink X6000R

Affected Assets

totolink
x6000r firmware
9.4.0cu.852_b20230719

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 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and evaluation can discover command-construction flaws before deployment.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation directly stops construction of commands from untrusted data containing special elements.

SA-15 Development Process, Standards, and Tools partial match

Documented development standards and tools can mandate verified checking of every function return value.

SA-8 Security and Privacy Engineering Principles partial match

Secure engineering principles include proper neutralization and safe command construction practices.

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