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Improper Certificate ValidationWeakness · CWE-295

CVE-2025-44018

HIGH · 8.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
A firmware downgrade vulnerability exists in the OTA Update functionality of GL-Inet GL-AXT1800 4.7.0. A specially crafted .tar file can lead to a firmware downgrade. An attacker can perform a man-in-the-middle attack to trigger this vulnerability.

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 confidence

A firmware downgrade vulnerability exists in the OTA Update functionality of GL-Inet GL-AXT1800 version 4.7.0. An attacker performing a man-in-the-middle attack can inject a specially crafted .tar file to force the device to accept and install an older, potentially vulnerable firmware version. This bypasses any security improvements or patches present in the current firmware.

MitigationImplement cryptographic signature verification for all firmware images before installation, enforce version checking to reject downgrades, and use TLS-encrypted connections for all OTA updates to prevent MITM tampering.

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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. Identify device model
    Check if the device is a GL-Inet GL-AXT1800 router by reviewing the device label, web UI footer, or running 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or 'ubus call system board'
    Affected if Device is not a GL-AXT1800 router - not affected by this specific CVE
  2. Check firmware version
    Access the router web UI (usually at 192.168.8.1) and look at the firmware version displayed on the status page, or run 'cat /etc/os-release' via SSH
    Affected if Firmware version is 4.7.0 - this is the affected version containing the vulnerability
  3. Verify OTA update feature status
    In the router web UI, navigate to Upgrade section or run 'ls /etc/config/' to find upgrade-related config files, then check if OTA update functionality is enabled
    Affected if OTA update feature is enabled and configured - the downgrade attack surface exists
  4. Inspect OTA update configuration
    Check /etc/config/upgrade or similar configuration files for OTA server URLs and update behavior settings
    Affected if Device uses OTA updates without cryptographic verification configured - vulnerable to injected firmware
  5. Check network exposure
    Review router network configuration to determine if OTA updates could traverse untrusted or unauthenticated networks
    Affected if OTA updates can occur over untrusted networks (e.g., open WiFi, untrusted ISP) - conditions exist for MITM attack

You are affected if you own a GL-AXT1800 router running firmware 4.7.0 with OTA update functionality enabled and updates could potentially traverse untrusted networks where a man-in-the-middle attack is possible.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement cryptographic signature verification for all firmware images before installation, enforce version checking to reject downgrades, and use TLS-encrypted connections for all OTA updates to prevent MITM tampering.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

GL-Inet firmware version later than 4.7.0 (check official GL-Inet release notes for the specific fixed version)

  1. 1. Identify the current firmware version installed on the GL-AXT1800 by accessing the admin interface or using the 'Luci' web UI.
  2. 2. Navigate to the GL-Inet official support or download page to obtain the latest stable firmware version.
  3. 3. Download the firmware from the official GL-Inet website (https://www.gl-inet.com/) to ensure authenticity.
  4. 4. Perform the firmware upgrade through the administrative interface using the downloaded official firmware.
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify that the new firmware version does not allow unauthenticated or unsigned firmware images to be installed via OTA.
  6. 6. As a mitigation, avoid performing OTA updates over untrusted networks; use a trusted wired connection for firmware updates.
Caveat Firmware upgrades may reset configuration; backup settings before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,960
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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-2025-44018 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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