CVE-2023-46889
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 · uneditedMeross MSH30Q 4.5.23 is vulnerable to Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information. During the device setup phase, the MSH30Q creates an unprotected Wi-Fi access point. In this phase, MSH30Q needs to connect to the Internet through a Wi-Fi router. This is why MSH30Q asks for the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and the Wi-Fi network password. When the user enters the password, the transmission of the Wi-Fi password and name between the MSH30Q and mobile application is observed in the Wi-Fi network. Although the Wi-Fi password is encrypted, a part of the decryption algorithm is public so we complemented the missing parts to decrypt it.
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 Meross MSH30Q smart plug (firmware 4.5.23) transmits Wi-Fi network credentials (SSID and password) during device setup over an unprotected Wi-Fi access point. While the password appears encrypted, the decryption algorithm contains public components that allow reconstruction of the key, enabling attackers to recover sensitive credentials via network sniffing.
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= 4.5.23CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Identify device modelCheck the physical device or its management app for the model number - look for MSH30Q or Meross smart plug markingsAffected if Device is not a Meross MSH30Q smart plug, then not affected
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Check firmware versionAccess the Meross app or check the device's web interface for firmware version information - verify if version is exactly 4.5.23Affected if Firmware version is 4.5.23 exactly - this specific version contains the flaw
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Verify device setup methodCheck if the device was or is being configured using the standard Meross app setup process which uses an unprotected Wi-Fi access pointAffected if Device uses the standard app-based setup that creates an unprotected AP during provisioning - this is when credentials are transmitted
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Inspect network traffic during setupUse a network sniffer or packet capture tool to monitor traffic when the device is in setup mode - look for SSID and password being sent to the device's temporary Wi-Fi APAffected if Cleartext or weakly encrypted Wi-Fi credentials are observed being transmitted to the device's setup AP
You are affected if you have a Meross MSH30Q smart plug running firmware version 4.5.23 and have performed or will perform device setup using the standard app-based provisioning method.
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 TLS or equivalent strong encryption for all communication during device setup phase, or use a secure out-of-band provisioning method such as Bluetooth LE with certificate pinning to protect Wi-Fi credential transmission.
- 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-2023-46889 — 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-2023-46889 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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