RCE in Peplink Smart Reader
CVE-2023-40146
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the /bin/login functionality of Peplink Smart Reader v1.2.0 (in QEMU). A specially crafted command line argument can lead to a limited-shell escape and elevated capabilities. An attacker can authenticate with hard-coded credentials and execute unblocked default busybox functionality to trigger this vulnerability.
Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)
EPSS: 0.014 (70.4th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.8 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Peplink Smart Reader — versions v1.2.0 (in QEMU)
- Peplink Smart_reader
- Peplink Smart_reader_firmware — versions 1.2.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- talos-cna@cisco.com (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- talos-cna@cisco.com (Vendor Advisory)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 (Third Party Advisory)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2023-40146?
- CVE-2023-40146 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Peplink Smart Reader, classified under Command Injection. CVSS score: 6.8/10. Published 2024-04-17.
- How severe is CVE-2023-40146?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.8 out of 10.