CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2019-16920 — D-Link Multiple Routers Command Injection Vulnerability

Critical CVSS 9.8 CISA KEV

Unauthenticated remote code execution occurs in D-Link products such as DIR-655C, DIR-866L, DIR-652, and DHP-1565. The issue occurs when the attacker sends an arbitrary input to a "PingTest" device common gateway interface that could lead to common injection. An attacker who successfully triggers the command injection could achieve full system compromise. Later, it was independently found that these are also affected: DIR-855L, DAP-1533, DIR-862L, DIR-615, DIR-835, and DIR-825.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2019-09-27
CISA KEV
Known exploited
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-78

Affected products

  • dlink / dir-655_firmware
  • dlink / dir-866l_firmware
  • dlink / dir-652_firmware
  • dlink / dhp-1565_firmware
  • dlink / dir-855l_firmware
  • dlink / dap-1533_firmware

Showing 6 representative product identities from 10 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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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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