# CVE-2020-5738: Command injection in Grandstream GXP1600 Series

> Authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary commands on Grandstream GXP1600 phones by uploading a malicious tar file via the VPN upload interface.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Apr 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-h368-4vc2-fv34

## What is CVE-2020-5738?

CVE-2020-5738 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Grandstream GXP1600 Series, published on 14 Apr 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Grandstream GXP1600 series firmware 1.0.4.152 and below is vulnerable to authenticated remote command execution when an attacker uploads a specially crafted tar file to the HTTP /cgi-bin/upload_vpntar interface.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-5738?

It affects 6 products.


Products: Grandstream Gxp1610 Firmware, Grandstream Gxp1615 Firmware, Grandstream Gxp1620 Firmware, Grandstream Gxp1625 Firmware, Grandstream Gxp1628 Firmware, Grandstream Gxp1630 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-5738?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-5738 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-5738 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5738 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Grandstream GXP1600 Series

- [CVE-2018-17564](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17564/): Missing authorization in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-17565](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17565/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-2329](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-2329/): Grandstream GXP1600 VoIP Phones - Unauthenticated stack buffer overflow (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2020-5739](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5739/): Command injection in Grandstream GXP1600 Series (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2018-17563](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17563/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-5738 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-5738 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Grandstream GXP1600 Series, published on 14 Apr 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5738 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Grandstream GXP1600 Series. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5738/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5738/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-5738
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5738
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5738

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5738/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.