CVE-2025-9605
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 · uneditedA security vulnerability has been detected in Tenda AC21 and AC23 16.03.08.16. Affected is the function GetParentControlInfo of the file /goform/GetParentControlInfo. Such manipulation of the argument mac leads to stack-based buffer overflow. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used.
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 confidenceA stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the GetParentControlInfo function of Tenda AC21 and AC23 routers (firmware 16.03.08.16). The function fails to properly validate the length of the 'mac' parameter before copying it to a stack buffer, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to overflow the buffer and potentially execute arbitrary code with root privileges.
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= 16.03.08.16= 16.03.08.16CVSS 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 router modelCheck the device label on the physical router or log into the admin interface (typically at 192.168.0.1) and look for the model number in the status or system information page.Affected if The device is a Tenda AC21 or AC23 router.
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Check firmware versionIn the router admin interface, navigate to System Settings > Firmware Upgrade or System Info to view the installed firmware version. Alternatively, check the firmware file name if you have access to it.Affected if The firmware version is exactly 16.03.08.16.
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Locate parental control featureLog into the router web interface and browse the menu options (typically under Parental Control, Access Control, or Security settings) to determine if the parental control function is present and accessible.Affected if The parental control feature is present and enabled on the router.
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Assess network exposureCheck your network configuration or firewall rules to determine if the router web interface (HTTP port 80/HTTPS port 443) is accessible from external/untrusted networks or the internet.Affected if The router web interface is exposed to untrusted networks and the parental control feature is available.
You are affected if you have a Tenda AC21 or AC23 router running firmware 16.03.08.16 with the parental control feature accessible from an untrusted network.
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 dataRestrict network access to the router's web interface (port 80/443) from untrusted networks, or disable the parental control feature until a vendor firmware patch is available. Monitor for indicators of compromise given the public exploit.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-9605 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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