CVE-2024-29269: Telesquare TLR-2005Ksh Firmware RCE Flaw

CVE-2024-29269 Overview

A critical command injection vulnerability has been discovered in Telesquare TLR-2005Ksh router firmware versions 1.0.0 and 1.1.4. This vulnerability allows attackers with adjacent network access to execute arbitrary system commands via the Cmd parameter. The flaw stems from improper input validation (CWE-77: Command Injection), enabling unauthenticated attackers to achieve complete system compromise on affected devices.

Critical Impact

Attackers on the adjacent network can execute arbitrary system commands without authentication, potentially leading to complete device compromise, network pivoting, and persistent backdoor access.

Affected Products

• Telesquare TLR-2005Ksh Firmware version 1.0.0
• Telesquare TLR-2005Ksh Firmware version 1.1.4
• Telesquare TLR-2005Ksh Hardware Device

Discovery Timeline

• April 10, 2024 - CVE-2024-29269 published to NVD
• June 17, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-29269

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a classic command injection flaw in embedded router firmware. The Telesquare TLR-2005Ksh router fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input passed through the Cmd parameter before incorporating it into system shell commands. This allows an attacker positioned on the adjacent network to inject arbitrary operating system commands that execute with the privileges of the underlying web server process.

The extremely high EPSS score of 93.538% (99.819th percentile) indicates a very high likelihood of active exploitation in the wild. Command injection vulnerabilities in network devices are particularly attractive to threat actors as they often provide a foothold for lateral movement, persistent access, and network reconnaissance.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-29269 is improper input validation (CWE-77) in the device's web management interface. The Cmd parameter is passed directly to a system shell without adequate sanitization or escaping of shell metacharacters. This allows attackers to break out of the intended command context and execute arbitrary commands.

Typical issues leading to this vulnerability include:

• Lack of input validation on user-supplied parameters
• Direct concatenation of user input into shell commands
• Missing output encoding or escaping
• Insufficient privilege separation in the web application

Attack Vector

The attack is exploitable from the adjacent network without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker connected to the same network segment as the vulnerable device can craft malicious HTTP requests containing shell metacharacters and arbitrary commands in the Cmd parameter.

The vulnerability is exploited by injecting shell metacharacters such as semicolons (;), pipes (|), or command substitution operators ($(...)) followed by malicious commands. When the router processes the request, the injected commands execute on the underlying operating system with the privileges of the web service.

Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available in the GitHub PoC Repository.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-29269

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual outbound network connections from the TLR-2005Ksh device to unknown IP addresses
• Unexpected processes or services running on the router
• Modified configuration files or new user accounts on the device
• Web server access logs showing requests with shell metacharacters in the Cmd parameter
• Network traffic anomalies indicating command-and-control communications

Detection Strategies

• Monitor HTTP traffic to the device management interface for requests containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &, $, backticks) in the Cmd parameter
• Implement network intrusion detection rules to alert on suspicious command patterns in requests to Telesquare devices
• Deploy network segmentation monitoring to detect unauthorized lateral movement from IoT/network device segments
• Review web server logs for unusual request patterns targeting administrative endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Isolate Telesquare TLR-2005Ksh devices on a dedicated network segment with restricted access
• Implement logging and alerting for all administrative access attempts to network infrastructure devices
• Monitor for unexpected DNS queries or outbound connections from network equipment
• Establish baseline network behavior for IoT and network devices to detect anomalous activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-29269

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the device management interface using firewall rules or access control lists
• Place affected devices behind a network firewall that blocks untrusted adjacent network access
• Disable remote management interfaces if not required for operations
• Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices from critical systems
• Monitor for exploitation attempts and suspicious device behavior

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no official vendor patch has been publicly announced for this vulnerability. Organizations should contact Telesquare directly for firmware update availability and remediation guidance. Until a patch is available, implement the workarounds and compensating controls described below.

Workarounds

• Disable the web management interface entirely if remote administration is not required
• Implement strict network access controls limiting management interface access to trusted administrator workstations only
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) in front of the device to filter malicious requests containing shell metacharacters
• Consider replacing vulnerable devices with alternative products if patching is not available
• Use VPN or out-of-band management for administrative access to reduce attack surface

# Network isolation example using iptables
# Restrict management interface access to specific admin subnet
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 192.168.100.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 192.168.100.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP