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Gpon FirmwareOperating system · Hinet

CVE-2019-15066

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
An “invalid command” handler issue was discovered in HiNet GPON firmware < I040GWR190731. It allows an attacker to execute arbitrary command through port 6998. CVSS 3.0 Base score 10.0. CVSS vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

A command injection vulnerability exists in the 'invalid command' handler of HiNet GPON firmware versions prior to I040GWR190731. An attacker can send specially crafted commands through port 6998 to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution with highest privileges on the affected device.

MitigationUpdate HiNet GPON firmware to version I040GWR190731 or later to patch the command injection vulnerability in the invalid command handler. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to port 6998.

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
Gpon FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< i040gwr190731

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 device model and confirm it is a HiNet GPON device
    Access the device web interface or check the device label/marketing to confirm it is a HiNet GPON optical network terminal or router. This vulnerability only affects HiNet GPON firmware, not other GPON devices from other ISPs or manufacturers.
    Affected if The device is a HiNet GPON device (typically labeled as HiNet or from Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom's GPON service).
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    Log into the device web administration panel (typically at 192.168.1.1 or similar) and navigate to the Status or System Information page to view the firmware version. Alternatively, check the device's backend via telnet or SSH if accessible, using commands like 'version' or 'cat /etc/version' depending on the device's Linux distribution.
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is earlier than I040GWR190731 (for example, I040GWR190615, I040GWR190501, etc.).
  3. Verify if port 6998 is exposed on the network
    From an external network location, run a port scan against the public IP address of the device: 'nmap -p 6998 <device_public_ip>' or use an online port checking tool. From inside the LAN, scan the device's local IP: 'nmap -p 6998 192.168.1.1' (adjust IP as needed).
    Affected if Port 6998 is found to be open and responding. This is the specific port the advisory states is used to send the malicious commands.
  4. Check if the device management interface is accessible from WAN (external) networks
    Review the device's firewall or access control settings in the web admin panel under sections like 'Security', 'Firewall', 'Remote Management', or 'Access Control'. Verify whether remote management from WAN IP addresses is enabled, which would expose port 6998 to attackers on the internet.
    Affected if Remote management or WAN access to the device's services is enabled, particularly if port 6998 is reachable from external networks.

A HiNet GPON device running firmware version earlier than I040GWR190731 with port 6998 exposed on the network is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution via the invalid command handler.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update HiNet GPON firmware to version I040GWR190731 or later to patch the command injection vulnerability in the invalid command handler. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to port 6998.

Recommended fix High confidence

i040gwr190731 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current GPON firmware version installed on the device
  2. 2. Download the fixed firmware version i040gwr190731 from the device manufacturer's official support website
  3. 3. Access the GPON device administration interface through a secure method
  4. 4. Navigate to the firmware upgrade or system maintenance section
  5. 5. Upload and apply the i040gwr190731 firmware file
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new firmware version
  7. 7. Confirm that port 6998 is no longer exposed to unauthorized network access if not needed for legitimate purposes

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

Fix this in Gpon Firmware 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-2019-15066 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

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