CVE-2018-3953

HIGH

Linksys E1200 and E2500 Firmware - OS Command Injection via Router Name Parameter

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 2 public exploits for CVE-2018-3953. Includes Metasploit module auxiliary/admin/http/linksys_e1500_e2500_exec.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This Metasploit module exploits an authenticated OS command injection vulnerability in Linksys E1500/E2500 routers. It logs in using default credentials and injects a command into the 'ping_size' parameter of a POST request to '/apply.cgi'.

Description

Devices in the Linksys ESeries line of routers (Linksys E1200 Firmware Version 2.0.09 and Linksys E2500 Firmware Version 3.0.04) are susceptible to OS command injection vulnerabilities due to improper filtering of data passed to and retrieved from NVRAM. Data entered into the 'Router Name' input field through the web portal is submitted to apply.cgi as the value to the 'machine_name' POST parameter. When the 'preinit' binary receives the SIGHUP signal, it enters a code path that continues until it reaches offset 0x0042B5C4 in the 'start_lltd' function. Within the 'start_lltd' function, a 'nvram_get' call is used to obtain the value of the user-controlled 'machine_name' NVRAM entry. This value is then entered directly into a command intended to write the host name to a file and subsequently executed.

Exploits (2)

metasploit WORKING POC
rubypoc
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/auxiliary/admin/http/linksys_e1500_e2500_exec.rb

This Metasploit module exploits an authenticated OS command injection vulnerability in Linksys E1500/E2500 routers. It logs in using default credentials and injects a command into the 'ping_size' parameter of a POST request to '/apply.cgi'.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linksys E1500/E2500 routers
Auth required
Prerequisites: Network access to the target router · Valid credentials (default: admin/admin or admin/password)
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
metasploit WORKING POC EXCELLENT
rubypocunix
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/http/linksys_e1500_apply_exec.rb

This Metasploit module exploits an authenticated OS command injection vulnerability in Linksys E1500/E2500 routers via the apply.cgi endpoint. It supports both command execution and MIPS ELF payload delivery for remote code execution.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linksys E1500/E2500 routers
Auth required
Prerequisites: Network access to the router's web interface · Valid credentials (default: admin/admin or admin/password)
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (1)

Core 1
Core References
Exploit, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_misc
https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2018-0625

Scores

CVSS v3 7.2
EPSS 0.6344
EPSS Percentile 98.4%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

CWE
CWE-78
Status published
Products (2)
linksys/e1200_firmware 2.0.09
linksys/e2500_firmware 3.0.04
Published Oct 17, 2018
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026