CVE-2022-36615Public exploit

Root password recovery via hard-coded shadow sample

Published Aug 28, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Hard-coded credentials in TOTOLINK A3000RU 4.1.2cu.5185_B20201128 allow local users to recover the root account password. The firmware stores a reusable root credential in /etc/shadow.sample, and the published proof recovers the password from that value. Low-privilege local access is required; public evidence does not establish whether shadow.sample is active at runtime.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.30%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Hard-coded credentials in TOTOLINK A3000RU 4.1.2cu.5185_B20201128 allow local users to recover the root account password. The firmware stores a reusable root credential in /etc/shadow.sample, and the published proof recovers the password from that value. Low-privilege local access is required; public evidence does not establish whether shadow.sample is active at runtime.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-36615
Published
Aug 28, 2022
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-798, T1552.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 28, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-798Use of Hard-coded Credentials
T1552.001Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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