OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2024-0401

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
ASUS routers supporting custom OpenVPN profiles are vulnerable to a code execution vulnerability. An authenticated and remote attacker can execute arbitrary operating system commands by uploading a crafted OVPN profile. Known affected routers include ASUS ExpertWiFi, ASUS RT-AX55, ASUS RT-AX58U, ASUS RT-AC67U, ASUS RT-AC68R, ASUS RT-AC68U, ASUS RT-AX86, ASUS RT-AC86U, ASUS RT-AX88U, and ASUS RT-AX3000.

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 confidence

Authenticated remote attackers can execute arbitrary OS commands by uploading crafted OpenVPN profiles to vulnerable ASUS routers. The OVPN profile parser does not properly sanitize inputs, allowing command injection through specially configured profile files.

MitigationRestrict access to the router administration interface, disable remote management if not required, apply vendor firmware updates when available, and use strong unique credentials for router access.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm device is an ASUS router
    Check the device model through the web interface, router status page, or physical labeling. Look for ASUS model numbers (e.g., RT-AC68U, RT-AX88U, etc.)
    Affected if The device is not an ASUS router - this vulnerability only affects ASUS router models
  2. Check if OpenVPN server feature is enabled
    Log into the router admin interface, navigate to VPN settings (typically under Advanced Settings > VPN), and verify if the OpenVPN server is currently enabled
    Affected if OpenVPN server is enabled - the vulnerability exploits the OVPN profile parser when OpenVPN is configured
  3. Verify firmware version against affected ranges
    In the router admin interface, go to Administration > Firmware Version (or similar) and note the installed firmware version. Compare against any ASUS security advisories for CVE-2024-0401
    Affected if The installed firmware version falls within the vulnerable version range and has not been patched
  4. Assess remote management accessibility
    Check the router's WAN/Internet access settings. Under Administration > System > Remote Management (or similar), verify if Remote Management (Web Access from WAN) is enabled
    Affected if Remote management is enabled and accessible from the Internet - this expands the attack surface for authenticated attackers
  5. Check authentication configuration
    In the router admin interface, verify the admin account credentials are not default (default is typically admin/admin). Also check if the default admin password has been changed to a strong, unique password
    Affected if Default credentials are in use or weak password configuration - CVE-2024-0401 requires authenticated access

The user is affected if they have an ASUS router with OpenVPN enabled, a vulnerable unpatched firmware version, and the attacker can authenticate to the admin interface (especially if remote management is exposed or default credentials are in use).

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict access to the router administration interface, disable remote management if not required, apply vendor firmware updates when available, and use strong unique credentials for router access.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-0401 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-0401 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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