CVE-2021-35004
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 remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of TP-Link TL-WA1201 1.0.1 Build 20200709 rel.66244(5553) wireless access points. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of DNS responses. A crafted DNS message can trigger an overflow of a fixed-length, stack-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-14656.
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 confidenceStack-based buffer overflow in DNS response handling of TP-Link TL-WA1201 wireless access points. An unauthenticated remote attacker can send a crafted DNS message that overflows a fixed-length stack buffer, achieving arbitrary code execution as root.
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= 1.0.1CVSS 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:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device modelAccess the device web interface or check the device label to confirm the exact model number is TP-Link TL-WA1201Affected if The device is not a TL-WA1201 model
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Check the firmware versionLog into the device web interface and navigate to Status or System settings to view the installed firmware versionAffected if The firmware version is 1.0.1
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Verify DNS service is accessibleCheck if the device DNS service is enabled and reachable on the network. This can be confirmed by attempting DNS queries to the device IP or checking the device configuration for DNS proxy/relay settingsAffected if DNS service is enabled and the device can receive DNS queries from untrusted sources
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Check network exposureDetermine if the device management interface or DNS service is exposed to untrusted networks by reviewing router/firewall rules and device LAN/WAN configurationAffected if The device DNS service is accessible from untrusted or internet-facing networks
You are affected if you are running TP-Link TL-WA1201 firmware version 1.0.1 with the DNS service enabled and accessible from untrusted networks.
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 update when available; until then, isolate device from untrusted networks and disable remote management interfaces to reduce attack surface.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-35004 — 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-2021-35004 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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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.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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