Unauthenticated Root RCE in Grandstream IP Phones
Vulnerability Overview
CVE-2026-2329 identifies a critical security flaw in the firmware of multiple Grandstream IP phone models. The vulnerability originates from improper input validation within the device’s web-based management interface. This allow attackers to send specially crafted HTTP requests to execute arbitrary system commands without requiring any authentication credentials.
Technical Analysis
The exploitation vector focuses on the management daemon, which typically operates with root-level permissions to facilitate system-wide configuration changes. Because the application fails to sanitize inputs before passing them to the system shell, an attacker can achieve a full compromise of the device’s operating system. Once root access is established, the attacker can manipulate the underlying Linux environment, install persistent backdoors, or pivot to other sensitive areas of the corporate network.
Security teams conducting infrastructure scanning via Pocket Pentest can identify exposed VoIP management interfaces that are susceptible to this class of vulnerability before they are targeted by malicious actors.
Impact and Attack Surface
Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-2329 enables several high-impact post-exploitation activities:
- Call Interception: Attackers can tap into the SIP stack to monitor, record, and exfiltrate real-time audio data from active voice calls.
- Credential Theft: Access to the device filesystem allows for the extraction of SIP credentials, administrative passwords, and WiFi pre-shared keys.
- Network Pivoting: Compromised IP phones serve as an ideal internal proxy for scanning and attacking other local network resources, often bypassing perimeter defenses.
Mitigation and Remediation
Grandstream has released patched firmware versions to address this vulnerability. Organizations utilizing GRP or GXP series phones should prioritize the following actions:
- Firmware Updates: Immediately deploy the latest firmware revisions provided by the manufacturer.
- Network Segmentation: Place all VoIP hardware in a dedicated Voice VLAN, isolated from general data traffic and restricted by firewall rules.
- Interface Hardening: Disable the web management interface (HTTP/HTTPS) on production devices if not strictly necessary, or restrict access to specific administrative IP ranges using Access Control Lists (ACLs).