Root session access via Lua pattern matching
Published Jan 12, 2024 · Updated Jun 3, 2025
Authentication bypass in GL.iNet router firmware 4.x allows remote attackers to obtain a root web session via a crafted login request. The NGINX Lua authentication logic treats the supplied root:[^:]+:[^:]+ username as a pattern while validating a nonce-derived hash, allowing regex metacharacters to match the root credential record. The unauthenticated challenge and login requests must finish within one second and grant root access when the router web interface is reachable.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in GL.iNet router firmware 4.x allows remote attackers to obtain a root web session via a crafted login request. The NGINX Lua authentication logic treats the supplied root:[^:]+:[^:]+ username as a pattern while validating a nonce-derived hash, allowing regex metacharacters to match the root credential record. The unauthenticated challenge and login requests must finish within one second and grant root access when the router web interface is reachable.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-50919
- Published
- Jan 12, 2024
- Updated
- Jun 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-287, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 12, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
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.
Public exploit references
- GL.iNet authentication-bypass proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo