Cisco Small Business RV160, RV160W, RV260, RV260P, and RV260W VPN Routers Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability

The vulnerabilities reside in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV160, RV160W, RV260, RV260P, and RV260W VPN Routers [1]. The flaw is caused by improper validation of HTTP requests, allowing an attacker to inject commands. All firmware versions prior to the fixed releases referenced in the Cisco advisory are affected [1].

Exploitation

An unauthenticated, remote attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities by sending a specially crafted HTTP request to the web-based management interface of an affected device [1]. No authentication or prior access is required; the attacker only needs network connectivity to the device's management interface [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code as the root user on the device [1]. This grants full control over the router, enabling the attacker to modify configurations, intercept traffic, or launch further attacks against internal networks.

Mitigation

Cisco has released free firmware updates that address these vulnerabilities [1]. The advisory lists the fixed software versions for each affected model [1]. Customers should upgrade to the latest firmware and restrict access to the web management interface to trusted networks as a best practice [1].