# CVE-2023-28381: Command injection in Surf SOHO HW1

> An authenticated attacker can execute arbitrary OS commands via a crafted HTTP request to the admin.cgi interface on Peplink Surf SOHO routers.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 4 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-x6x8-jpgv-4ggp

## What is CVE-2023-28381?

CVE-2023-28381 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Peplink Surf SOHO HW1, published on 11 Oct 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An OS command injection vulnerability exists in the admin.cgi MVPN_trial_init functionality of peplink Surf SOHO HW1 v6.3.5 (in QEMU). A specially crafted HTTP request can lead to command execution. An attacker can make an authenticated HTTP request to trigger this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-28381?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Peplink Surf Soho Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-28381?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-28381 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-28381 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-28381 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Peplink Surf SOHO HW1

- [CVE-2023-27380](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-27380/): Command injection in Surf SOHO HW1 (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2023-34356](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-34356/): Command injection in Surf SOHO HW1 (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2023-35193](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-35193/): Command injection in Surf SOHO HW1 (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2023-35194](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-35194/): Command injection in Surf SOHO HW1 (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2023-34354](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-34354/): Cross-site scripting in Surf SOHO HW1 (low 3.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-28381 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-28381 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Peplink Surf SOHO HW1, published on 11 Oct 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-28381 exists.

Affected product: Peplink Surf SOHO HW1. 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-2023-28381/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28381/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-28381
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28381
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-28381

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28381/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.