Analyst readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This affects Edimax EW-7438RPn firmware 1.31. A flaw in the device web interface can cause a stack buffer overflow, potentially allowing full compromise of the device after authenticated network access. Public exploit material exists, but the provided sources do not show confirmed active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as urgent for any affected device exposed beyond a tightly controlled admin network. The combination of critical impact, remote reachability, public exploit availability, and no named vendor fix creates high operational risk for legacy edge devices.
Technical view
The issue is a stack-based buffer overflow in formrefresh at /goform/formrefresh when handling the submit-url argument. CVSS v2 is 9.0 with network attack vector, low complexity, and required authentication. Sources map it to CWE-119 and CWE-121 and identify only EW-7438RPn 1.31 as affected.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Edimax EW-7438RPn devices running firmware 1.31, based on the provided sources. Risk is highest where the management interface is reachable from untrusted networks, exposed to the internet, or protected by weak or shared credentials.
Exploitation context
VulDB states the exploit is public and may be used. The bundle marks KEV as false, and no cited source confirms active exploitation. Vendor response is reported as absent, and no source in the bundle names a fixed version.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports remote authenticated exploitation potential against EW-7438RPn 1.31 only. Do not broaden scope to other Edimax models or firmware without additional evidence. Public exploit availability is cited, but active exploitation is not established by KEV or the supplied sources.
Mitigation direction
- Identify and prioritize EW-7438RPn devices running firmware 1.31.
- Remove management interfaces from internet and untrusted network exposure.
- Restrict administration to trusted networks or VPN-only access.
- Use strong unique administrator credentials and review account access.
- Check Edimax guidance for fixed firmware or replacement direction.
- Consider replacing or isolating devices if no vendor fix exists.
Validation and detection
- Inventory network extenders and confirm exact model and firmware version.
- Review remote management exposure for EW-7438RPn administration interfaces.
- Check logs for unexpected access to /goform/formrefresh.
- Confirm only authorized administrators can reach device management.
- Monitor CVE, VulDB, and Edimax sources for remediation updates.
Public sources used
Based on public source material and reviewed before publication.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-119: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-121: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-9480 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9 (2.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C/E:POC/RL:ND/RC:UR
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
4 official scoresWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C/E:POC/RL:ND/RC:UR 8 10 VulDB CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:X/RC:R 2.8 5.9 VulDB CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:X/RC:R 2.8 5.9 VulDB CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P — — VulDB Vulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.7 HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8 HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:X/RC:R
Base CVSS 3.0 score
8.8 HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:X/RC:R
Base CVSS 2.0 score
9 CriticalVector: AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C/E:POC/RL:ND/RC:UR
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- Source timeline VulDB
Advisory disclosed
- Source timeline VulDB
VulDB entry created
- CVE reserved CVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- Source timeline VulDB
VulDB entry last update
- CVE published CVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updated CVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 source CVE List V5
- VDB-365461 | Edimax EW-7438RPn formrefresh stack-based overflow CVE reference, VulDB · vdb-entry, technical-description
- VDB-365461 | CTI Indicators (IOB, IOC, IOA) CVE reference, VulDB · signature, permissions-required
- Submit #813902 | Edimax EW-7438RPn 1.31 Stack-based Buffer Overflow CVE reference, VulDB · third-party-advisory
- https://github.com/wudipjq/my_vuln/blob/main/Edimax/vuln_18/18.md CVE reference, VulDB · exploit
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Stack-based Buffer Overflow
Stack-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.