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High

OS Command Injection in ASUS RT-AX55 token-generated module

IdentifiersCVE-2023-41345CWE-77

CVE-2023-41345 is an authenticated OS command injection vulnerability in ASUS RT-AX55 firmware. According to the provided content, the flaw exists in an authentication-related function due to insufficient filtering of special characters in the token-generated module. An authenticated remote attacker can supply crafted input containing shell metacharacters that is not properly sanitized before being used by the underlying system, resulting in command injection. The issue affects the router’s web management/authentication workflow and has been cited as one of the vulnerabilities leveraged in large-scale attacks against ASUS WRT devices.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows an authenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the affected router. This can be used to disrupt the system, terminate services, modify device configuration, install persistence such as SSH backdoors, and take privileged control of the device. In the broader campaign context provided, similar exploitation enabled attackers to repurpose compromised routers as encrypted relay/proxy nodes and botnet-style infrastructure.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching or replacement is not possible, reduce exposure by disabling remote access features, especially AiCloud where applicable in the broader attack chain, restricting administrative access to trusted networks only, disabling internet-exposed management interfaces, and monitoring for unusual traffic or indicators of compromise such as unauthorized SSH access or anomalous AiCloud TLS certificates. Because the vulnerability requires authenticated access, harden and rotate administrative credentials and review for unauthorized accounts or persistence.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply the latest ASUS firmware update that addresses CVE-2023-41345. The provided content states ASUS has released security updates for vulnerabilities leveraged in these attacks and recommends upgrading firmware to the latest available version. For devices that are end-of-life or no longer supported, replace them with supported models, as unsupported devices may not receive fixes.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
ASUSRt-Ax55 Firmwareoperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

7 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

7 SOURCESView more in app
What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.
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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware1

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity4

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES
MITRE CVE
cve.org · CVE-2023-41345
NVD
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41345
MITRE CWE · CWE-77
cwe.mitre.org
Third Party Advisory
twcert.org.tw/tw/cp-132-7496-96e2c-1.html