CVE-2023-40146
Peplink Smart Reader Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the /bin/login functionality of Peplink Smart Reader v1.2.0 (in QEMU). A specially crafted command line argument can lead to a limited-shell escape and elevated capabilities. An attacker can authenticate with hard-coded credentials and execute unblocked default busybox functionality to trigger this vulnerability.
INFO
Published Date :
April 17, 2024, 1:15 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 21, 2025, 6:01 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2023-40146
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | CRITICAL | [email protected] |
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2023-40146.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-40146 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2023-40146
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2023-40146 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2023-40146 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Aug. 21, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-798 Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:o:peplink:smart_reader_firmware:1.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* OR cpe:2.3:h:peplink:smart_reader:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added Reference Type CVE: https://forum.peplink.com/t/peplink-security-advisory-smart-reader-firmware-1-2-0-cve-2023-43491-cve-2023-45209-cve-2023-39367-cve-2023-45744-cve-2023-40146/47256 Types: Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type Talos: https://forum.peplink.com/t/peplink-security-advisory-smart-reader-firmware-1-2-0-cve-2023-43491-cve-2023-45209-cve-2023-39367-cve-2023-45744-cve-2023-40146/47256 Types: Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type CVE: https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240822-0008/ Types: Third Party Advisory Added Reference Type CVE: https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1868 Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory Added Reference Type Talos: https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1868 Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory -
CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Nov. 21, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://forum.peplink.com/t/peplink-security-advisory-smart-reader-firmware-1-2-0-cve-2023-43491-cve-2023-45209-cve-2023-39367-cve-2023-45744-cve-2023-40146/47256 Added Reference https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240822-0008/ Added Reference https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1868 -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
May. 14, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Apr. 17, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Removed Reference Talos https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1868 -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Apr. 17, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference Talos https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1868 [No types assigned] -
CVE Received by [email protected]
Apr. 17, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the /bin/login functionality of Peplink Smart Reader v1.2.0 (in QEMU). A specially crafted command line argument can lead to a limited-shell escape and elevated capabilities. An attacker can authenticate with hard-coded credentials and execute unblocked default busybox functionality to trigger this vulnerability. Added Reference Talos https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1868 [No types assigned] Added Reference Talos https://forum.peplink.com/t/peplink-security-advisory-smart-reader-firmware-1-2-0-cve-2023-43491-cve-2023-45209-cve-2023-39367-cve-2023-45744-cve-2023-40146/47256 [No types assigned] Added CWE Talos CWE-77 Added CVSS V3.1 Talos AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H