CVE-2016-6159
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 · uneditedThe management interface of Huawei WS331a routers with software before WS331a-10 V100R001C01B112 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and obtain administrative access by sending "special packages" to the LAN interface.
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 confidenceThe management interface of Huawei WS331a wireless routers contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in versions prior to WS331a-10 V100R001C01B112. Attackers can send specially crafted packets to the LAN interface to bypass authentication and gain full administrative access to the router without valid credentials.
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<= ws331a-10_v100r001c02b017sp01CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm router model is WS331aLog into the router web interface or check the physical device label to verify the model number is exactly Huawei WS331aAffected if Router model is not WS331a (different models are not affected by this specific CVE)
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Check installed firmware versionAccess the router management interface (typically at 192.168.3.1 or 192.168.1.1), navigate to System Status or Device Information section, and record the firmware version string displayedAffected if Firmware version is ws331a-10_v100r001c02b017sp01 or earlier (versions <= ws331a-10_v100r001c02b017sp01 are affected)
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Verify management interface is LAN-accessibleCheck router settings under Advanced Settings, Security, or Administration sections to confirm if the web management interface is enabled for LAN access. Attempt to access the management interface from a connected client deviceAffected if Management interface is enabled and accessible from LAN-side clients (the vulnerability is exploitable only when the management interface is reachable from LAN)
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Check for management access restrictionsInspect the router for any access control lists (ACLs), IP address filters, or management port restrictions that might limit which devices can reach the management interfaceAffected if No access restrictions are configured - any LAN client can reach the management interface without barriers
You are affected if you have a Huawei WS331a router with firmware version ws331a-10_v100r001c02b017sp01 or earlier, and the router management interface is enabled and accessible from your LAN without access restrictions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade Huawei WS331a routers to firmware version WS331a-10 V100R001C01B112 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict LAN-side access to the management interface using access control lists or disable remote management features.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6159 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-6159 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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