CVE-2020-8864
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to bypass authentication on affected installations of D-Link DIR-867, DIR-878, and DIR-882 routers with firmware 1.10B04. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of HNAP login requests. The issue results from the lack of proper handling of empty passwords. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the router. Was ZDI-CAN-9471.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to bypass authentication on affected D-Link DIR-867, DIR-878, and DIR-882 routers with firmware 1.10B04. The flaw exists in HNAP login request handling where empty passwords are not properly validated, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code.
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<= 1.20b03<= 1.10b04<= 1.10b04CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify router modelCheck the device label or web interface for the exact model number (DIR-867, DIR-878, or DIR-882). This vulnerability only affects these three models.Affected if Model is not DIR-867, DIR-878, or DIR-882
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Check firmware versionAccess the router web interface (typically at 192.168.0.1) and look in Settings > System > Firmware or Status page. Compare the firmware version to the affected ranges: DIR-867 <= 1.10b04, DIR-878 <= 1.20b03, DIR-882 <= 1.10b04.Affected if Firmware version is at or below the affected version for your specific model
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Verify HNAP service statusAccess router web interface and look for HNAP (Home Network Administration Protocol) settings, typically under Advanced or Network Settings. Check if HNAP is enabled.Affected if HNAP protocol is enabled on the router
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Check remote management accessIn router web interface, look for Remote Management, WAN Access, or External Access settings (usually under Advanced > Network or Security). Determine if management interface is accessible from WAN/internet.Affected if Remote/WAN management is enabled, allowing network-adjacent attackers to reach the device
If the router model is DIR-867, DIR-878, or DIR-882 with firmware at or below the affected version, HNAP is enabled, and remote management is accessible, the device is vulnerable to unauthenticated code execution.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor firmware updates when available. If no update exists, restrict network access to the router's management interface to trusted users only, as the attack vector is network-adjacent.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8864 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-8864 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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