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Dir 868l FirmwareOperating system · Dlink

CVE-2016-5681

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2016-08-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.00 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Stack-based buffer overflow in dws/api/Login on D-Link DIR-850L B1 2.07 before 2.07WWB05, DIR-817 Ax, DIR-818LW Bx before 2.05b03beta03, DIR-822 C1 3.01 before 3.01WWb02, DIR-823 A1 1.00 before 1.00WWb05, DIR-895L A1 1.11 before 1.11WWb04, DIR-890L A1 1.09 before 1.09b14, DIR-885L A1 1.11 before 1.11WWb07, DIR-880L A1 1.07 before 1.07WWb08, DIR-868L B1 2.03 before 2.03WWb01, and DIR-868L C1 3.00 before 3.00WWb01 devices allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long session cookie.

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 · high confidence

Stack-based buffer overflow in the dws/api/Login endpoint of multiple D-Link DIR-series wireless routers. The vulnerability is triggered by sending an overly long session cookie, which overflows a stack buffer and allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This is a pre-authentication flaw affecting the login functionality.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware updates (e.g., DIR-850L B1 to 2.07WWB05, DIR-868L B1 to 2.03WWb01) to all affected devices. If firmware updates are unavailable, restrict external access to the router's web interface via firewall rules or disable remote management.

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
Dir 868l FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 2.03<= 3.00
Dir 822 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 3.01
Dir 880l FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 1.07
Dir 850l FirmareOperating system
Affected:<= 2.07
Dir 895l FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 1.11
Dir 817l\(w\) FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= jul.2016
Dir 818l\(w\) FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 2.05
Dir 890l FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 1.09

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 the router model
    Access the router's web interface or check the device label to confirm it is a D-Link DIR-series model (e.g., DIR-868L, DIR-822, DIR-880L, DIR-850L, DIR-895L, DIR-817L, DIR-818L, or DIR-890L)
    Affected if The device is not a D-Link DIR-series model from the affected product list
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    Log into the router web interface and navigate to Status or System settings to view the firmware version, or use the router's administration page to display firmware information
    Affected if The firmware version falls within the affected ranges: DIR-868L <= 2.03 or <= 3.00, DIR-822 = 3.01, DIR-880L <= 1.07, DIR-850L <= 2.07, DIR-895L <= 1.11, DIR-817L <= July 2016, DIR-818L <= 2.05, or DIR-890L <= 1.09
  3. Verify the web interface is accessible
    Attempt to access the router's web login page (typically at http://192.168.0.1 or the router's LAN IP address) using a browser to confirm the dws/api/Login endpoint is reachable
    Affected if The web interface is accessible and responds to login requests
  4. Confirm remote management exposure
    Check the router's administration settings for remote management or WAN access options (often under Advanced > Remote Management or similar) to see if the web interface is reachable from the WAN/internet
    Affected if Remote management is enabled and the router's web interface is accessible from external networks

The device is affected if it is a D-Link DIR-series model listed above running a firmware version within the specified affected ranges and the web interface is accessible, particularly from external networks.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.00
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied firmware updates (e.g., DIR-850L B1 to 2.07WWB05, DIR-868L B1 to 2.03WWb01) to all affected devices. If firmware updates are unavailable, restrict external access to the router's web interface via firewall rules or disable remote management.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to specific firmware versions: DIR-850L B1 to 2.07WWB05, DIR-818LW to 2.05b03beta03, DIR-822 C1 to 3.01WWb02, DIR-823 A1 to 1.00WWb05, DIR-895L A1 to 1.11WWb04, DIR-890L A1 to 1.09b14, DIR-885L A1 to 1.11WWb07, DIR-880L A1 to 1.07WWb08, DIR-868L B1 to 2.03WWb01, DIR-868L C1 to 3.00WWb01

  1. 1. Identify the exact model and current firmware version of the D-Link router from the affected list (DIR-850L, DIR-817, DIR-818LW, DIR-822, DIR-823, DIR-895L, DIR-890L, DIR-885L, DIR-880L, DIR-868L)
  2. 2. Access the router's web administration interface by navigating to the device's IP address
  3. 3. Navigate to the Administration or System settings section
  4. 4. Locate the Firmware Upgrade or Router Upgrade option
  5. 5. Download the appropriate fixed firmware version from D-Link's official support website
  6. 6. Upload the firmware file to the router and wait for the upgrade to complete
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the firmware version has been updated to the fixed release
  8. 8. Change the administrator password as a security best practice
Caveat Firmware upgrades may reset router configurations; backup current settings before upgrading and reconfigure after upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Dir 868l Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2016-5681 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data