How to Fix CVE-2026-6015: Stack buffer overflow in AC9
By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.
| Severity | 8.7 (High) |
|---|---|
| Actively exploited? | No public listing in CISA KEV |
| Affected | Tenda AC9 15.03.02.13 |
| Fixed in | See vendor advisory |
| Type (CWE) | CWE-121: Stack-based Buffer Overflow |
What is CVE-2026-6015?
A vulnerability has been found in Tenda AC9 15.03.02.13. Impacted is the function formQuickIndex of the file /goform/QuickIndex of the component POST Request Handler. Such manipulation of the argument PPPOEPassword leads to stack-based buffer overflow. It is possible to launch the attack remotely.
Am I affected?
Run the version check that matches your platform:
# Windows
winget list | findstr /I "ac9"
Get-WmiObject Win32_Product | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*AC9*" } | Select-Object Name, Version
Compare what you see against the Affected row above (Tenda AC9 15.03.02.13). If your build sits inside that range, you are exposed and should patch.
How to fix CVE-2026-6015
The primary fix is to upgrade AC9 to the patched build. Use the commands for your platform below; the patched version listed in the vendor advisory is: See vendor advisory.
Windows (PowerShell, run as administrator)
# Check installed version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5
# Apply latest Microsoft security updates (Windows Update)
Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck
Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
Get-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate
Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot
# Or via winget for application-level patches
winget upgrade --all --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
If the affected component is a third-party application, identify the package and run:
winget upgrade --id <vendor.product>
Replace <vendor.product> with the actual winget identifier (run winget search AC9 to find it).
Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)
# Fix script for CVE-2026-6015 affecting AC9
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.
$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-6015-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append
try {
Write-Host "[1/4] Detecting installed version of AC9"
$pkg = winget list --id "AC9" 2>$null
Write-Host $pkg
Write-Host "[2/4] Backing up configuration"
$backup = "C:\Backup\AC9-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\AC9" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Write-Host "[3/4] Applying upgrade to latest"
winget upgrade --id "AC9" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
# Fallback: Windows Update for OS-level fixes
if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
}
Write-Host "[4/4] Verifying patched build"
winget list --id "AC9"
Write-Host "Fix applied. Reboot if prompted."
exit 0
} catch {
Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
exit 1
} finally {
Stop-Transcript
}
Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-6015 affecting AC9
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.
set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-6015-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1
echo "[1/4] Detecting installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
dpkg -s ac9 2>/dev/null | grep -i version || echo "ac9 not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
rpm -q ac9 || echo "ac9 not installed via rpm"
fi
echo "[2/4] Backing up configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-6015-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/ac9 /etc/ac9.d /etc/ac9.conf; do
[ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done
echo "[3/4] Applying upgrade (target: latest)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
apt-get update
apt-get install --only-upgrade -y ac9
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
dnf upgrade --security -y ac9
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
yum update -y ac9
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
zypper --non-interactive patch --category security
fi
echo "[4/4] Verifying patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
dpkg -s ac9 2>/dev/null | grep -i version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
rpm -q ac9
fi
echo "Done. Restart any running daemons that loaded the old library."
If you can't patch immediately
If you cannot apply the patched version today, restrict exposure with one of the following runnable controls. None replace the patch.
Windows firewall isolation
# Allow only management subnet to reach the vulnerable service
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Restrict AC9" `
-Direction Inbound -Action Block -RemoteAddress Any `
-Protocol TCP -LocalPort 443
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow Mgmt AC9" `
-Direction Inbound -Action Allow -RemoteAddress 10.0.0.0/8 `
-Protocol TCP -LocalPort 443
Service-level fallback
# If the affected feature is optional, stop the service until the patch is applied
sudo systemctl stop ac9
sudo systemctl disable ac9
How to verify the fix worked
# Linux
ac9 --version 2>/dev/null || dpkg -s ac9 | grep -i version
rpm -q ac9 2>/dev/null || true
# Windows
winget list | findstr /I "ac9"
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5
Expected: the reported version is at or above the patched build documented in the advisory. Restart any services that loaded the old library (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, restart the Windows service or reboot when prompted). For network appliances, run show version on the device and confirm the build matches the patched release.
Frequently asked questions
Related fixes
Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:
- How to Fix CVE-2026-5122: Access Control Bypass in GoBGP — Access Control Bypass in GoBGP
- How to Fix CVE-2026-32717: CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization in anything-llm — CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization in anything-llm
- How to Fix CVE-2026-8265: OS Command Injection in AC6 , OS Command Injection in AC6
- How to Fix CVE-2026-20912: Access Control Bypass in Gitea Open Source Git Server , Access Control Bypass in Gitea Open Source Git Server
- How to Fix CVE-2026-41037: Restriction of excessive authentication attempts in Router QN-I-470 , Restriction of excessive authentication attempts in Router QN-I-470
Is CVE-2026-6015 actually being exploited?
According to the data sources above, no public confirmation of in-the-wild exploitation at this time. Either way, the fix is the same: apply the vendor patch.
Do I need to reboot after patching?
For OS or kernel updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough. Any process that loaded the old shared library keeps using it until restarted, so when in doubt, reboot.
What is the CVSS score?
8.7 (high). Refer to the vendor advisory for the exact vector string.
Where is the official advisory?
See the References section at the bottom of this page; the vendor's URL is the authoritative source for affected builds and patched versions.
References
- Official vendor advisory: https://vuldb.com/vuln/356571/cti
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-6015
- https://vuldb.com/vuln/356571
- https://vuldb.com/submit/791828
- https://lavender-bicycle-a5a.notion.site/Tenda-AC9-QuickIndex-33153a41781f80458940f212f150a4fb?source=copy_link
- https://www.tenda.com.cn/
*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*