# CVE-2019-18371: Xiaomi Mi Wifi - Path Traversal

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2019-18371 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2019-18371

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 7.5
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Xiaomi Mi WiFi R3G
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'))
- **Tags:** iot

## Description

An issue was discovered on Xiaomi Mi WiFi R3G devices before 2.28.23-stable. There is a directory traversal vulnerability to read arbitrary files via a misconfigured NGINX alias, as demonstrated by api-third-party/download/extdisks../etc/config/account. With this vulnerability, the attacker can bypass authentication.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2019-18371](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2019-18371) is a vulnerability affecting Xiaomi Mi WiFi devices, allowing attackers to read arbitrary files through a directory traversal flaw. This occurs due to a misconfigured NGINX alias, potentially enabling remote bypass of authentication and access to sensitive configuration files.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 29th of January 2025.

CrowdSec network observations suggest that most exploitation of CVE-2019-18371 involves focused reconnaissance to identify viable targets. Attackers typically tailor their campaigns based on system exposure and configuration. It is unlikely that a given attack is accidental.
Data from the CrowdSec community also indicates a gradual decrease in attacks targeting CVE-2019-18371. While still present in the wild, exploitation levels have dropped noticeably week-over-week. This may signal that the vulnerability is becoming less relevant or that defenses are improving fast enough for attackers to lose interest.

Exploitation attempts typically involve requests to URLs containing `/api-third-party/download/extdisks../`.

## Timeline

- 2019-10-23: CVE Published. CVE-2019-18371 is published to NVD.
- 2025-01-29: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2019-18371 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2025-01-31: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2019-18371 for the first time.

## References

- https://github.com/UltramanGaia/Xiaomi_Mi_WiFi_R3G_Vulnerability_POC/blob/master/arbitrary_file_read_vulnerability.py
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2019/CVE-2019-18371.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2019-18371) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2019-18371. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.