
AI Agent Uncovers Unauthenticated Router Config Dump Leading to CVE Filing
An LLM agent tasked only with documenting network topology independently discovered a critical authentication bypass in a home router firmware. The agent performed read-only reconnaissance, extracted the full configuration including base64-encoded admin passwords and WPA2 keys via an unprotected CGI endpoint, and verified the finding by obtaining a valid session cookie. It then produced a complete coordinated disclosure report, classified the issue under CWE-306 with a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8, and prepared the MITRE CVE submission package. The vulnerability affects LAN-side management interfaces of certain SOHO routers running legacy Boa web servers and remains unpatched due to inaccessible vendor firmware channels. The researcher maintained strict read-only permissions for the agent throughout the process, ensuring no configuration changes occurred. The case demonstrates how autonomous agents can accelerate vulnerability research while staying within defined operational boundaries.
HabrAug 30, 2026Translated from Russian