Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-46431

Memory Safety in Tenda W18E Firmware 16.01.0.8\(1625\)

Public PoCMemory Safety
Published
10 February 2025
Modified
25 March 2025
CVSS Score v3.1 8.0
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0046 38th percentile
Risk Priority 59 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-46431 is a high-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Tenda W18E Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 8.0 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 38th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); 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-2024-46431 is a buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) affecting the Tenda W18E router running firmware version V16.01.0.8(1625). The flaw resides in the delWewifiPic function within the web management portal, where specially crafted data can trigger the overflow.

An attacker with low privileges (PR:L) and adjacent network access (AV:A) can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction required (UI:N). Successful exploitation grants high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability consequences (C:H/I:H/A:H), potentially allowing arbitrary code execution on the device.

The primary advisory is detailed in a security research blog at https://reddassolutions.com/blog/tenda_w18e_security_research, which covers the vulnerability discovery but does not specify patch availability or mitigation steps in the provided information.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Tenda W18E V16.01.0.8(1625) is vulnerable to Buffer Overflow. An attacker with access to the web management portal can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted data to the delWewifiPic function.

CWE(s)
CWE-120

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
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 →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-29217Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2025-29218Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2024-46435Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2023-46369Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2025-3203Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2023-46370Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2024-46430Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2025-45343Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2024-46432Same product: Tenda W18E
CVE-2024-46434Same product: Tenda W18E

Affected Assets

tenda
w18e firmware
16.01.0.8\(1625\)

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)
  • V5.2.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and analysis can find missing size checks before deployment.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation directly enforces size checks before buffer copies.

SA-8 Security and Privacy Engineering Principles partial match

Engineering principles require bounds checking and safe buffer handling in design.

SI-16 Memory Protection partial match

Memory protection limits the impact of an overflow once it occurs.

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 development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.

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 directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.

References