CVE-2023-46033
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 · uneditedD-Link (Non-US) DSL-2750U N300 ADSL2+ and (Non-US) DSL-2730U N150 ADSL2+ are vulnerable to Incorrect Access Control. The UART/Serial interface on the PCB, provides log output and a root terminal without proper access control.
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 D-Link DSL-2750U and DSL-2730U routers have an unprotected UART/Serial interface on the PCB that exposes system log output and provides direct root terminal access without any authentication, allowing physical attackers to gain full device control.
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 dataall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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 router model and firmware versionLocate the device label on your D-Link DSL-2750U or DSL-2730U router and record the hardware version and firmware version shownAffected if The device is a D-Link DSL-2730U or DSL-2750U with any firmware version - all versions are affected
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Physically inspect PCB for UART interfaceOpen the router casing and examine the PCB for a set of 4-6 pins (typically labeled J1, UART, CON1, or similar) usually located near the edge of the board - these are the UART/serial header pinsAffected if UART pins are present and accessible on the PCB - the vulnerability exists if these pins are exposed and not disabled
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Check serial console for authentication requirementConnect a USB-to-TTL serial adapter to the UART pins (GND, TX, RX) and power on the device. Open a terminal program (e.g., Putty, minicom) at 115200 baud. Observe the boot log and attempt to access a shell promptAffected if The serial console provides root shell access or login without requiring any password - no authentication prompt appears before root access is granted
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Verify system log exposure via UARTWhile connected to the UART interface, observe if system boot messages, kernel logs, and runtime console output are visible without any authentication barrierAffected if Unauthenticated users can read full system logs and interact with the boot process through the UART interface
You are affected if physical access to the device allows connection to an unprotected UART interface that grants root shell access without any password or authentication.
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 · scopedRestrict physical access to device internals; for long-term remediation, hardware revision with UART authentication or firmware modification to disable serial console root access is required.
- Physical access control is the only mitigation - ensure routers are in secure locations with restricted physical access.
- If the device is in a publicly accessible area, consider relocating it to a secured telecom cabinet or room.
- Disable or remove UART/Serial pins on the PCB if you have technical capability and the device is out of warranty.
- Monitor for unauthorized physical access to the devices.
- Consider replacing these end-of-life devices with newer routers that have improved physical security controls.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-46033 — 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-2023-46033 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
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