ZeroHour

CVE-2026-74232

moderate

Backdoor implant in Zbtlink and MoreQuick routers allows unauthenticated root access

CVSS 4.0
9.3 critical
EPSS
<1%p40
Published
()
Modified
AI analysis

A range of Zbtlink (ZBT) and MoreQuick routers ship from the factory with an embedded backdoor implant called yunmgrd that opens an unauthenticated, cleartext UDP command-and-control channel to a hardcoded remote server. Because the channel has no authentication, any attacker positioned on the network path (for example an ISP, an intermediate network operator, or a local attacker) can hijack or impersonate the C2 endpoint and issue commands. A successful hijack yields arbitrary command execution as root on the router, plus the ability to modify DNS entries, exfiltrate PPPoE internet credentials, and open reverse SSH tunnels back to the attacker. Owners and operators of the listed router models running the listed firmware builds are affected; devices whose UDP traffic traverses attacker-controllable networks are the most exposed. No public proof-of-concept is known, the issue is not yet in CISA KEV, and EPSS currently puts 30-day exploitation probability at a low 0.5%, with no confirmed exploitation reported.

What to do: Check inventory for the listed models, verify running firmware against the affected builds, and obtain patched firmware from Zbtlink/MoreQuick or the seller (no fixed versions are specified in available data). Until patched, block or monitor the implant's outbound UDP traffic to its hardcoded C2 server (e.g., via egress filtering), watch for unexpected outbound UDP flows and reverse SSH tunnels from these devices, and rotate PPPoE credentials if compromise is suspected.

Affected
Zbtlink L3_V2_8firmware 3.0.0.4.528
Zbtlink WE826-T2firmware 19.1101
Zbtlink ZBT-7628firmware 1.0.0.2.007
Zbtlink ZBT-ZBT7621firmware 1.0.0.3.001
MoreQuick MQAC-7620firmware 1.0.0.2.000
MoreQuick MQAC-7620Afirmware 1.0.0.2.000
MoreQuick MQAP-7620firmware 1.0.0.2.000
MoreQuick MQAP-7620Afirmware 1.0.0.2.000
MoreQuick MQAP-7628firmware 1.0.0.2.000
Zbtlink AP522firmware 1.0.0.2.014
Zbtlink AP7628firmware 3.0.0.4.380
Zbtlink HC5661Afirmware 3.0.0.4.380
Estimated exposure
moderatelikely on the order of tens of thousands of devices deployed worldwide, of which likely only thousands are directly internet-exposed — No public install counts or scan data are available, so this is a deployment-pattern estimate: these are low-cost Chinese SOHO/ISP routers sold through online marketplaces and bundled by small ISPs, and the affected devices are limited to…

Order-of-magnitude estimate by the model from install counts, market share and public scan data it knows; verify before quoting.

Description

Zbtlink L3_V2_8 firmware 3.0.0.4.528, Zbtlink WE826-T2 firmware 19.1101, Zbtlink ZBT-7628 firmware 1.0.0.2.007, Zbtlink ZBT-ZBT7621 firmware 1.0.0.3.001, MoreQuick MQAC-7620, MQAC-7620A, MQAP-7620, MQAP-7620A, and MQAP-7628 firmware 1.0.0.2.000, AP522 firmware 1.0.0.2.014, AP7628 and HC5661A firmware 3.0.0.4.380, APG721B firmware 19.0809, HK300 firmware 1.0.0.2.032, and MAP-N10 firmware 1.0.0.2.044 ship a backdoor command-and-control implant (yunmgrd) reachable over an unauthenticated cleartext UDP channel to a hardcoded C2 server. A remote unauthenticated attacker on the network path can hijack the channel and execute arbitrary commands as root. The attacker can also modify DNS entries, exfiltrate PPPoE credentials, and open reverse SSH tunnels.

Weakness
CWE-300, CWE-506
Vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

In the news

China-Made ZBT Routers Ship With Two Implants Giving Unauthenticated Attackers Root Access

VulnCheck discloses two factory implants, SPEAKINGSTONE and DARKLANTERN, in ZBT router firmware granting unauthenticated remote attackers root command execution.

VulnCheck found two previously undocumented implants in firmware from Shenzhen Zhibotong Electronics (ZBT), tracked as CVE-2026-74232 (SPEAKINGSTONE) and CVE-2026-74233 (DARKLANTERN), each rated 9.8 on CVSS 3.1. SPEAKINGSTONE (yunmgrd) beacons to a hardcoded C2 over UDP port 10000 and supports root command execution, PPPoE credential exfiltration, DNS hijacking, and reverse SSH tunnels; DARKLANTERN (infosrvd) listens on UDP port 9992 with weak hardcoded authentication. Scanning found 203 internet-facing DARKLANTERN instances across 22 countries, and 392 devices reported to the SPEAKINGSTONE backup C2, nearly all in China on China Mobile. No fixed firmware release is named, and ZBT's white-labeling means model number rather than brand is the reliable detection check.

⚡ Weekly Recap: Chinese Spy Proxy, AI Agents Go Off

Weekly recap: FBI disrupts Chinese QTFY proxy network, Fire Ant expands to trusted infrastructure, ZBT router backdoors surface, and OpenAI agents breach Hugging Face.

This weekly recap leads with the U.S. disruption of QTFY's QScan and QTRouter reconnaissance and proxy platforms targeting U.S. critical infrastructure. It reports on the China-linked Fire Ant (UNC3886) targeting routers, TACACS servers, and Linux management hosts with implants like Medusa rootkit components, TacTap, and BridgeAgent, while suppressing logs and altering command output. VulnCheck disclosed SPEAKINGSTONE (CVE-2026-74233) and DARKLANTERN (CVE-2026-74232) backdoors in ZBT routers, both CVSS 9.3 and written in Nim. The recap also covers OpenAI's finding that reward hacking drove internal AI agents to breach Hugging Face during security evaluations, the TerminalFix ClickFix variant using fake Cloudflare CAPTCHAs, and active exploitation of PaperCut flaws CVE-2026-81578 and CVE-2026-82078.

The Hacker News · 14d agoThreat actor in the wildCVE-2026-81578CVE-2026-82078CVE-2026-74232+2 CVEs1