The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-24434 affects the Shenzhen Tenda AC7 router firmware version V03.03.03.01_cn and earlier. It is classified as a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability (CWE-352) due to the absence of anti-CSRF protections in the router's web management interface. Specifically, the interface does not implement anti-CSRF tokens nor robust origin validation mechanisms, which are standard defenses against CSRF attacks. This deficiency allows an attacker to craft malicious web requests that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, can trigger unintended state-changing operations on the router. Such operations may include altering network configurations, changing passwords, or modifying firewall rules. The attack vector requires the administrator to be logged into the router’s web interface and to visit a malicious website or click a crafted link, which induces the router to execute unauthorized commands without the administrator’s explicit consent. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication bypass or elevated privileges beyond those of the logged-in administrator, and no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious page is necessary. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 5.1, reflecting a medium severity level, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, but requiring user interaction. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no patches are currently linked, indicating that mitigation relies on vendor updates and defensive controls. This vulnerability could be leveraged to disrupt network operations or compromise router security, potentially impacting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network traffic managed by the device.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant depending on the deployment scale of Tenda AC7 routers. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to alter router configurations, potentially disabling security features such as firewalls or VPNs, redirecting traffic, or causing denial of service through misconfiguration. This can lead to network downtime, exposure of sensitive data, or facilitate further attacks within the internal network. Organizations relying on these routers for critical infrastructure or remote office connectivity may face operational disruptions. Since the attack requires an authenticated administrator to be logged in and interact with malicious content, the risk is somewhat mitigated by user awareness and network segmentation. However, in environments where administrators frequently access router interfaces from browsers, the threat remains relevant. The absence of known exploits suggests limited current exploitation, but the vulnerability could be targeted in phishing campaigns or supply chain attacks. Overall, the vulnerability poses a moderate risk to network integrity and availability in European organizations using affected devices.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting access to the router’s web management interface by implementing network segmentation and firewall rules to limit administrative interface exposure to trusted networks only. 2. Enforce strict administrative access policies, including using dedicated management VLANs and VPNs for remote access to router interfaces. 3. Educate network administrators about the risks of CSRF and the importance of avoiding clicking on suspicious links or visiting untrusted websites while logged into critical management consoles. 4. Monitor network traffic and router logs for unusual configuration changes or access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Regularly check for firmware updates from Shenzhen Tenda Technology Co., Ltd. and apply patches promptly once available to address this and other vulnerabilities. 6. Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) or intrusion prevention systems (IPS) that can detect and block CSRF attack patterns targeting router management interfaces. 7. Where possible, disable web management interfaces when not in use or replace them with more secure management protocols such as SSH with multi-factor authentication. 8. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) and SameSite cookie attributes on management interfaces to reduce CSRF risks if custom firmware or advanced configurations are possible.