CVE-2019-6961
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 · uneditedIncorrect access control in actionHandlerUtility.php in the RDK RDKB-20181217-1 WebUI module allows a logged in user to control DDNS, QoS, RIP, and other privileged configurations (intended only for the network operator) by sending an HTTP POST to the PHP backend, because the page filtering for non-superuser (in header.php) is done only for GET requests and not for direct AJAX calls.
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 RDK RDKB WebUI has an access control bypass where actionHandlerUtility.php only performs authorization checks for GET requests rendered through header.php, but not for direct AJAX POST calls. This allows any authenticated non-superuser to bypass the intended role-based restrictions and modify privileged network settings like DDNS, QoS, and RIP configurations by sending direct HTTP POST requests to the PHP backend.
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= rdkb-20181217-1CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm RDK RDKB WebUI presenceIdentify if the system runs the RDK (Reference Design Kit) RDKB WebUI. Search for the presence of /usr/ccsp/webui/ directory or look for 'rdkb' references in system firmware or OS information.Affected if System runs Rdkcentral Rdkb Ccsppandm firmware
-
Verify affected versionCheck the installed version matches rdkb-20181217-1. This may be visible in system version files, about pages, or by searching for this version string in the webui directories.Affected if Version is exactly rdkb-20181217-1
-
Locate actionHandlerUtility.phpSearch for actionHandlerUtility.php in the web server's document root, typically found under /webui/ or /usr/ccsp/webui/ paths in the RDKB filesystem.Affected if actionHandlerUtility.php file exists on the system
-
Inspect authorization logic in actionHandlerUtility.phpExamine the PHP code in actionHandlerUtility.php and look for conditional checks that validate user roles or authorization only within GET request handling blocks, but are absent from POST handler sections that modify DDNS, QoS, or RIP settings.Affected if Code shows role authorization checks exist for GET requests through header.php but are missing for direct POST AJAX calls to privileged functions
System is vulnerable if it runs RDK RDKB version rdkb-20181217-1 and actionHandlerUtility.php contains role checks only for GET requests but not for POST requests to modify privileged network settings.
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 dataImplement consistent authorization checks on all PHP backend endpoints including AJAX handlers, ensuring that POST requests to privileged configuration functions validate the user's role before allowing modifications. Consider applying the header.php access control logic uniformly to all request types.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-6961 — 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-2019-6961 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data