CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2016-6558 — Asus Rp-Ac52 Firmware security vulnerability

Critical CVSS 9.8

A command injection vulnerability exists in apply.cgi on the ASUS RP-AC52 access point, firmware version 1.0.1.1s and possibly earlier, web interface specifically in the action_script parameter. The action_script parameter specifies a script to be executed if the action_mode parameter does not contain a valid state. If the input provided by action_script does not match one of the hard coded options, then it will be executed as the argument of either a system() or an eval() call allowing arbitrary commands to be executed.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.0)
Published
2018-07-13
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-77

Affected products

  • asus / rp-ac52_firmware
  • asus / ea-n66_firmware
  • asus / rp-n12_firmware
  • asus / rp-n14_firmware
  • asus / rp-n53_firmware
  • asus / rp-ac56_firmware

Showing 6 representative product identities from 7 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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