Actively exploited vulnerability
D-Link DIR-859 Router: vulnerability flaw under attack
CVE-2019-17621 · D-Link DIR-859 Router Command Execution Vulnerability
What is affected
D-Link DIR-859 Router is the kind of equipment many homes and small offices run for years without touching: a router, camera or storage box. Attackers scan the internet for exposed units, and a hijacked one can spy on traffic or be enrolled in a botnet without any visible sign.
D-Link DIR-859 router contains a command execution vulnerability in the UPnP endpoint URL, /gena.cgi. Exploitation allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute system commands as root by sending a specially crafted HTTP SUBSCRIBE request to the UPnP service when connecting to the local network.
What an attacker can do
This is a vulnerability flaw. It lets an attacker misuse the product in a way its maker did not intend. CISA lists it because attackers are confirmed to be using it against real systems.
- How it is reached
- Over the internet or network
- Access the attacker needs
- No account needed
- Does the victim have to do something?
- No, works without the victim doing anything
What to do
- Check whether you own this device: look at the label on your router, camera or NAS, or open its admin page and note the model and firmware version.
- Install the latest firmware from the manufacturer's support page or the device's own update menu.
- If the manufacturer no longer releases updates for the model, replace it. An end-of-life device with an exploited flaw cannot be made safe.
- Turn off remote administration from the internet unless you truly need it, and change the default admin password.
Apply updates per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if updates are unavailable.
Vendor advisories and fixes
- supportannouncement.us.dlink.comsupportannouncement.us.dlink.com/announcement/publication.aspx?name=SAP10147
How urgent is it
CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on June 29, 2023, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by July 20, 2023, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.
The EPSS model estimates a 90% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 99.8% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 9.8 out of 10 (critical), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
The UPnP endpoint URL /gena.cgi in the D-Link DIR-859 Wi-Fi router 1.05 and 1.06B01 Beta01 allows an Unauthenticated remote attacker to execute system commands as root, by sending a specially crafted HTTP SUBSCRIBE request to the UPnP service when connecting to the local network.