CVE-2020-14097
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 · uneditedWrong nginx configuration, causing specific paths to be downloaded without authorization. This affects Xiaomi router AX6 ROM version < 1.0.18.
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 · moderate confidenceThe Xiaomi AX6 router contains a misconfigured nginx web server that allows unauthorized access to specific paths, enabling attackers to download sensitive files without authentication. This configuration error in the embedded firmware permits path traversal or improper access controls on the router's web interface.
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< 1.0.18CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
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Check the installed firmware version on the Xiaomi AX6 routerLog into the router's web interface (typically at 192.168.31.1) and navigate to Settings > Status, or access via CLI/telnet if enabled and run 'cat /proc/xiaoqiang/version' or check the firmware file headerAffected if The firmware version is lower than 1.0.18 (e.g., 1.0.17 or earlier)
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Verify nginx configuration for unauthorized access pathsIf you have shell access (via telnet/ssh), examine /etc/nginx/nginx.conf or the included configuration files in /etc/nginx/conf.d/ for location blocks that lack proper access controls or authentication requirementsAffected if The nginx configuration contains location blocks for sensitive paths (such as /etc, /mnt, /usr, or backup directories) without 'auth_basic' or 'allow/deny' directives restricting access
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Test for unauthenticated path traversal accessFrom a remote host, attempt to access common sensitive paths on the router's web interface without providing credentials, for example: http://<router-ip>/etc/passwd or http://<router-ip>/etc/config/Affected if The web server returns file contents or directory listings without requiring any authentication
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Check for exposed backup or configuration filesAttempt to access known backup or configuration file paths on the web server such as /backup, /cfg, /config, or their variations, without authenticationAffected if The router's web server serves these files without requiring login credentials
The environment is affected if the Xiaomi AX6 router is running firmware version 1.0.17 or earlier, and the nginx web server exposes sensitive paths without authentication as confirmed by direct access attempts or configuration review.
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 data1.0.18
Update the Xiaomi router AX6 firmware to version 1.0.18 or later to obtain the corrected nginx configuration that properly restricts path access.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-14097 — 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-2020-14097 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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