


Perceptive Security
SOC/SIEM Consultancy

Zbtlink router firmware ships an embedded remote-control implant, ENDLESSDOORS, present in every published build across the product line. It is the open-source …
Published:
4 August 2026 at 22:00:00
Alert date:
5 August 2026 at 12:07:08
Source:
nvd.nist.gov
Mobile & IoT, Network Infrastructure, Ransomware & Malware, Supply Chain & Dependencies, Critical Infrastructure
Zbtlink router firmware contains a hidden remote-control implant called ENDLESSDOORS, embedded across all published firmware builds. The implant is based on the open-source ycsunjane/rctl tool, packaged as an OpenWrt library (librctl.so), and runs at boot as root while disguising itself as a kernel kworker thread. It establishes outbound cleartext TCP connections to a hardcoded C2 server on ports 7000 and 7001, with no authentication or encryption, retrying every ~35 seconds. Any received command is passed directly to popen() as root, and a special rctlbash command grants an interactive root shell. Because the channel is unauthenticated and unencrypted, any party able to intercept the connection, hijack DNS/routes, or acquire the hardcoded fallback domain can achieve full unauthenticated remote code execution as root. This represents a severe supply-chain and firmware-level backdoor affecting the entire Zbtlink product line. The vulnerability is categorized as a critical embedded implant with significant risk to network infrastructure security.
Technical details
Mitigation steps:
Affected products:
Zbtlink router firmware
OpenWrt
librctl.so
ycsunjane/rctl
Related links:
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66747
https://github.com/ycsunjane/rctl
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/zbt-endlessdoors
https://www.vulncheck.com/blog/zbt-endlessdoors
https://www.zbtlink.com/pages/zbt-router-firmware-download
Related CVE's:
Related threat actors:
IOC's:
librctl.so, kworker, rctlbash, TCP port 7000, TCP port 7001
This article was created with the assistance of AI technology by Perceptive.
