CVE-2023-52042
RCE in Totolink X6000R Firmware 9.4.0cu.852_b20230719
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-52042 is a critical-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Totolink X6000R Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 39% 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-2023-52042 is a command injection vulnerability in the sub_4117F8 function of the TOTOLINK X6000R router running firmware version V9.4.0cu.852_B20230719. The flaw is triggered through the lang parameter and is tracked under CWE-77, carrying a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 that reflects network attackability without authentication or user interaction.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can supply a crafted lang value to execute arbitrary operating-system commands on the device, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The EPSS score rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.0563 on 2025-01-22 before receding to the current value of 0.0028, indicating a period of increased exploitation interest after public disclosure. No vendor advisory or patch information is provided in the available references.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-56721
Vulnerability Data
An issue discovered in sub_4117F8 function in TOTOLINK X6000R V9.4.0cu.852_B20230719 allows attackers to run arbitrary commands via the 'lang' parameter.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover command-construction flaws before deployment.
Input validation directly stops construction of commands from untrusted data containing special elements.
Secure engineering principles include proper neutralization and safe command construction practices.
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.8.25 mandates secure SDLC practices including secure coding guidelines, security requirements, checkpoints, testing (scans/penetration), and developer training that reduce command injection defects, but leaves a minority slice (e.g. incomplete implementation of those practices, outsourced development without full assurance, or post-SDLC changes) where the weakness can still arise and be exploitable.
Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.
A.8.27 mandates security-by-design principles (e.g. distrust external input, secure session control, data validation/sanitization, least privilege) and design reviews that can stop command injection from being introduced, but this is only a minority slice of CWE-77 because the weakness can still arise in code that bypasses those principles, in non-reviewed components, or in runtime injection vectors the architecture review does not reach.
Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.
Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.
Hardening callouts derived
DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.
- No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-77, a class-level weakness, and none of its children carries one either.