What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities

CVE-2022-45440

• Severity: medium (CVSS 4.4 v3.1)
• Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
• EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
• Public exploit or detection template: none known
• Published: 2023-01-17 · updated 2026-06-17
• Weakness: CWE-59

Description

A vulnerability exists in the FTP server of the Zyxel AX7501-B0 firmware prior to V5.17(ABPC.3)C0, which processes symbolic links on external storage media. A local authenticated attacker with administrator privileges could abuse this vulnerability to access the root file system by creating a symbolic link on external storage media, such as a USB flash drive, and then logging into the FTP server on a vulnerable device.

Affected products

• Zyxel AX7501-B0 firmware: before 5.17\(abpc.3\)c0 — fixed in 5.17\(abpc.3\)c0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Zyxel AX7501-B0 firmware 5.17\(abpc.3\)c0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

• https://www.zyxel.com/global/en/support/security-advisories/zyxel-security-advisory-for-cleartext-storage-of-wifi-credentials-and-improper-symbolic-links-of-ftp-for-ax7501-b0-cpe
• https://www.zyxel.com/global/en/support/security-advisories/zyxel-security-advisory-for-cleartext-storage-of-wifi-credentials-and-improper-symbolic-links-of-ftp-for-ax7501-b0-cpe

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