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Eap ControllerApplication · Tp Link

CVE-2018-5393

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-09-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.5.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The TP-LINK EAP Controller is TP-LINK's software for remotely controlling wireless access point devices. It utilizes a Java remote method invocation (RMI) service for remote control. The RMI interface does not require any authentication before use, so it lacks user authentication for RMI service commands in EAP controller versions 2.5.3 and earlier. Remote attackers can implement deserialization attacks through the RMI protocol. Successful attacks may allow a remote attacker to remotely control the target server and execute Java functions or bytecode.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

TP-LINK EAP Controller versions 2.5.3 and earlier expose an unauthenticated Java RMI (Remote Method Invocation) service. The RMI interface lacks any authentication requirements, allowing remote attackers to send malicious serialized Java objects. Attackers can exploit unsafe deserialization to execute arbitrary Java code or bytecode remotely, achieving full compromise of the target server.

MitigationAdd authentication enforcement to the RMI service interface and implement safe deserialization whitelisting/validation. If available, upgrade to a patched version of EAP Controller that addresses this vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Eap ControllerApplication
Affected:<= 2.5.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if TP-LINK EAP Controller is installed
    Locate the EAP Controller installation directory. On Windows, check C:\Program Files\TP-LINK\EAP Controller or C:\Program Files (x86)\TP-LINK\EAP Controller. On Linux, check /opt/tplink/EAPController or /usr/local/EAPController. Look for the 'EAP_Controller' or 'eapnms' directory and verify the presence of jar files and configuration files.
    Affected if The EAP Controller software is present on the system.
  2. Determine the installed EAP Controller version
    Locate the version file or check the application properties. Common paths include: <install_dir>/lib/com.tp-link.eap.properties, <install_dir>/version.ini, or the control panel Programs and Features entry. The version may also be displayed in the web management interface login page or in startup logs.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.5.3 or any earlier version.
  3. Verify the RMI service is exposed and listening
    Check for open ports associated with Java RMI services. Use 'netstat -an' or 'ss -tulpn' to list listening ports. RMI commonly uses ports 1098-1099, 8080, or 8443. Look for these ports in the LISTEN state and verify they are bound to an interface accessible from the network (0.0.0.0 or external IP rather than 127.0.0.1).
    Affected if Port 1098, 1099, 8080, 8443 or similar Java RMI ports are listening and accessible from the network.
  4. Confirm RMI service lacks authentication
    Attempt to connect to the exposed RMI port using an RMI client or tools like 'rmiregistry' or a Java client that can invoke remote objects. If the service accepts connections without any authentication challenge, this confirms the vulnerability. In logs, look for RMI service initialization without security manager or authentication modules loaded.
    Affected if The RMI service accepts connections without requiring authentication credentials.

A system is affected if TP-LINK EAP Controller version 2.5.3 or earlier is installed and the Java RMI service is exposed to the network without authentication enforcement.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.5.3
Interim mitigation

Add authentication enforcement to the RMI service interface and implement safe deserialization whitelisting/validation. If available, upgrade to a patched version of EAP Controller that addresses this vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a version newer than 2.5.3 (check TP-LINK support for the specific fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify all TP-LINK EAP Controller instances running version 2.5.3 or earlier in your environment.
  2. 2. Consult the official TP-LINK support website or release notes to identify the latest stable version of EAP Controller that addresses CVE-2018-5393.
  3. 3. Before upgrading, perform a full backup of the current EAP Controller configuration and database.
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window to minimize operational impact.
  5. 5. Download the updated EAP Controller software from the official TP-LINK website.
  6. 6. Follow the vendor's official upgrade procedure documented in the EAP Controller administration guide.
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the RMI service is now properly secured with authentication.
  8. 8. Confirm the new version is running: 2.5.3
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between your current version and the new version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Eap Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-5393 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data