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Wrt54gHardware / appliance · Linksys

CVE-2005-2915

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-09-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
ezconfig.asp in Linksys WRT54G router 3.01.03, 3.03.6, non-default configurations of 2.04.4, and possibly other versions, uses weak encryption (XOR encoding with a fixed byte mask) for configuration information, which could allow attackers to decrypt the information and possibly re-encrypt it in conjunction with CVE-2005-2914.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The ezconfig.asp file in Linksys WRT54G router firmware versions 3.01.03, 3.03.6, and potentially 2.04.4 uses a weak XOR encoding mechanism with a fixed byte mask to encrypt configuration backup files. This allows attackers to decrypt sensitive router configuration data and potentially re-encrypt modified configurations (as noted in CVE-2005-2914).

MitigationAvoid using the configuration backup/restore feature on affected routers. Ensure the router's web management interface is not exposed to untrusted networks. Replace affected end-of-life routers with modern devices that support secure configuration encryption.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Wrt54gHardware / appliance
Affected:= 2.04.4_non_default= 3.01.3= 3.03.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify router model
    Access the router's web management interface and check the device model name, or check the device label on the router hardware itself.
    Affected if The router is not a Linksys WRT54G model - this vulnerability only affects that specific model.
  2. Check firmware version
    Log into the router web interface, navigate to the Administration or Status page to view the firmware version. Compare against the affected versions: 2.04.4_non_default, 3.01.3, or 3.03.6.
    Affected if The firmware version exactly matches one of the three affected versions listed.
  3. Verify web management interface accessibility
    Attempt to access the router's web interface from the network. Check if TCP port 80 or 443 is open and responding.
    Affected if The router's web management interface is exposed and accessible - this is required for an attacker to exploit the ezconfig.asp vulnerability.
  4. Check if ezconfig.asp is present and accessible
    Request the URL /ezconfig.asp from the router's web interface (e.g., http://router-ip/ezconfig.asp). Verify the file exists and is reachable.
    Affected if The ezconfig.asp file is accessible - this is the vulnerable file containing the weak XOR encryption mechanism.
  5. Test configuration backup functionality
    Locate the configuration backup or restore option in the router's web interface (typically under Administration > Backup/Restore). Verify the feature is available and functional.
    Affected if The configuration backup/restore feature is enabled and accessible - this is the attack vector for decrypting or re-encrypting router configurations.

A user is affected if they have a Linksys WRT54G router running firmware version 3.01.3, 3.03.6, or 2.04.4_non_default with the web management interface accessible and the configuration backup/restore feature available.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Avoid using the configuration backup/restore feature on affected routers. Ensure the router's web management interface is not exposed to untrusted networks. Replace affected end-of-life routers with modern devices that support secure configuration encryption.

Fix this in Wrt54g Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-2915 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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