HiLink LTE Modem

Control Huawei HiLink USB LTE modems (E3372, E8372, etc.) via REST API. Send/receive SMS, check signal strength, manage SIM PIN, query prepaid balance, and m...

Security Scan

The skill's behavior matches a HiLink modem manager, but it performs privileged system/network changes, sources a user config file (allowing arbitrary shell execution), and does not declare required binaries — these mismatches and risks merit caution.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description align with the included shell script and the documented HiLink API; the actions (SMS, PIN, signal, network setup) are coherent with a modem-management tool. However, the package metadata declares no required binaries while the script clearly depends on curl, python3, ip, sudo, grep/sed/awk, and ping — a discrepancy to be aware of.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions and the script direct the agent/user to modify network interfaces, create udev rules, edit /etc/network files, run sudo ip/route commands, and source ~/.config/hilink/config. Sourcing the config file executes any shell content inside it (not limited to simple variable assignments), which is a direct code-execution risk if the file is untrusted or tampered with. The skill only targets the local modem API (no external endpoints), but it has broad discretion over system networking.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec (instruction-only plus an included script), which is low risk for arbitrary remote downloads. But because a runnable script is included and it relies on several external binaries, the omission of dependency declarations is a packaging/information gap that could surprise users at runtime.

Credentials

No credentials are requested by the registry metadata, which matches the local-only nature of the modem API. However, the skill reads/sources a local config (~/.config/hilink/config) that may include HILINK_PIN (SIM PIN) in plaintext — this is sensitive. More importantly, sourcing the config runs any shell code present, so the skill can effectively execute arbitrary content from a user-writable path, which is disproportionate if the intended purpose is only to read a few variables.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill suggests persistent system changes (udev rule, /etc/network/interfaces.d entry) and issues privileged commands (sudo ip addr/route modification). These actions are consistent with a modem manager but require elevated privileges and will affect system networking; users should be aware and review/approve such changes explicitly before running.

What to consider before installing

This skill does what it says (manage Huawei HiLink modems) but requires elevated network privileges and has two practical risks: (1) it sources ~/.config/hilink/config which will execute any shell code in that file — only use a config that contains simple variable assignments and inspect it before running; (2) the included script expects tools (curl, python3, ip, sudo, ping, grep, sed) that the registry metadata doesn't declare. Before installing: inspect scripts/hilink.sh fully, don't place sensitive credentials/PINs in an unprotected file, run first in an isolated VM or container, and be prepared to review/undo udev and /etc/network changes. If you don't want the script to modify system networking, avoid running the parts that call sudo or require creating udev rules.

Control Huawei HiLink USB LTE modems via their local REST API.

Setup

The modem must be in HiLink mode (not stick/serial mode) and accessible via HTTP.

Config

Set gateway IP in ~/.config/hilink/config:

HILINK_GATEWAY=192.168.200.1

Or pass via environment: export HILINK_GATEWAY=192.168.200.1

Default: 192.168.200.1

Network Requirements

The LTE USB interface needs an IP on the modem's subnet (e.g., 192.168.200.x). Configure as static IP with no gateway and no DNS to avoid routing conflicts:

# /etc/network/interfaces.d/lte
allow-hotplug lte0
iface lte0 inet static
    address 192.168.200.100/24

Critical: Never let the LTE interface set a default route or DNS — it will override your LAN connection. Use nogateway and nohook resolv.conf in dhcpcd, or a static config with no gateway line.

Persistent Interface Name

USB network interfaces get random names on each boot. Create a udev rule for a stable name:

# Find MAC address
cat /sys/class/net/enx*/address

# Create udev rule
echo 'SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", ATTR{address}=="xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx", NAME="lte0"' \
  | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/70-lte-modem.rules

CLI Usage

# SMS
scripts/hilink.sh sms send "[phone]" "Hello!"
scripts/hilink.sh sms list
scripts/hilink.sh sms read 40001
scripts/hilink.sh sms delete 40001

# Status & Signal
scripts/hilink.sh status
scripts/hilink.sh signal

# SIM PIN
scripts/hilink.sh pin enter 1234
scripts/hilink.sh pin disable 1234
scripts/hilink.sh pin status

# Prepaid Balance (USSD)
scripts/hilink.sh balance

# Connection info
scripts/hilink.sh info

API Overview

All HiLink API calls require a session token + CSRF token pair:

# Get tokens
curl -s http://GATEWAY/api/webserver/SesTokInfo
# Returns: <SesInfo>cookie</SesInfo><TokInfo>csrf_token</TokInfo>

# Use in requests
curl -X POST http://GATEWAY/api/endpoint \
  -H "Cookie: <SesInfo value>" \
  -H "__RequestVerificationToken: <TokInfo value>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/xml" \
  -d '<xml request body>'

For detailed API endpoints, see references/api.md.

Troubleshooting

• Error 113018 on SMS send: SIM not registered to network. Check PIN status and signal.
• SimState 260: PIN required. Enter PIN first via scripts/hilink.sh pin enter <PIN>.
• SignalStrength 0: No network registration. Wait after PIN entry or check antenna.
• DNS/routing broken: LTE interface set a default route. Remove it: sudo ip route del default via 192.168.200.1
• Interface name changed: USB MAC randomized. Create udev rule (see Setup).