CVE-2025-29165
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 · uneditedAn issue in D-Link DIR-1253 MESH V1.6.1684 allows an attacker to escalate privileges via the etc/shadow.sample component
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 DIR-1253 MESH V1.6.1684 firmware contains a privilege escalation vulnerability via the etc/shadow.sample component. The shadow.sample file typically contains template password hashes for system users; an attacker with appropriate access can manipulate this file to gain elevated (likely root) privileges on the device, compromising the entire mesh network.
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= 1.6.1684CVSS 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 device modelAccess the router web interface or check the device label to confirm the model is D-Link DIR-1253Affected if Device is not a D-Link DIR-1253, then not affected by this specific CVE
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Check firmware versionLog into the router admin interface and navigate to System > Firmware Upgrade or Status page to find the installed firmware versionAffected if Firmware version is NOT exactly 1.6.1684, then not affected by this CVE
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Locate shadow.sample fileAccess the router via SSH or Telnet if enabled, then check for the existence of /etc/shadow.sample using: ls -la /etc/shadow.sampleAffected if The file /etc/shadow.sample does not exist on the device, then the vulnerability path does not exist
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Inspect shadow.sample file contentsView the file contents using: cat /etc/shadow.sample or cat /etc/shadowAffected if The shadow.sample file contains non-default or modified password hashes compared to the vendor baseline, indicating potential tampering or exploitation attempt
The device is affected only if it is a D-Link DIR-1253 running firmware version 1.6.1684 AND the /etc/shadow.sample file is present and accessible for modification.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied firmware patch when available; until then, restrict administrative access to trusted networks only and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.
- Consultation3.0 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 $2,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-29165 — 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-2025-29165 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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