CVE-2020-11965
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 · uneditedIn IQrouter through 3.3.1, there is a root user without a password, which allows attackers to gain full remote access via SSH. Note: The vendor claims that this vulnerability can only occur on a brand-new network that, after initiating the forced initial configuration (which has a required step for setting a secure password on the system), makes this CVE invalid. This vulnerability is “true for any unconfigured release of OpenWRT, and true of many other new Linux distros prior to being configured for the first time”
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 confidenceIQrouter firmware versions through 3.3.1 ships with a root account that has no password configured by default. This allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain full root access via SSH if the device has not completed its mandatory initial configuration process.
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<= 3.3.1CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify firmware versionAccess the IQrouter administrative interface or check via CLI and locate the firmware version information. Compare this version number against the affected range: <= 3.3.1Affected if Firmware version is 3.3.1 or earlier
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Determine if initial configuration is completeCheck whether the device has completed its mandatory first-time setup process. This typically involves verifying if a root password has been set through the initial configuration wizardAffected if Device has NOT completed initial configuration and retains default settings with no root password set
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Verify SSH accessibilityAttempt to connect to the device on port 22 (SSH) from an external network location or check the device's firewall/service settings to confirm SSH is enabled and reachableAffected if SSH service is enabled and accessible on the device
All three conditions must be true for the device to be vulnerable: firmware version 3.3.1 or lower, initial configuration incomplete with no root password set, and SSH accessible on the network.
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.
dbcve · scopedComplete the forced initial configuration process on all IQrouter devices to set a strong root password, which the vendor states invalidates this vulnerability. Ensure no devices remain in an unconfigured state with default SSH access.
- Complete the forced initial configuration on the Iqrouter device during first-time setup
- During the initial configuration process, set a strong, unique password for the root user as required by the system
- Verify that SSH access now requires authentication before use
- If the device was previously unconfigured/Factory reset, ensure the initial configuration wizard is completed with a secure password before exposing the device to network access
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11965 — 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-2020-11965 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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- 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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