Archer C5 FirmwareOperating system · Tp Link

CVE-2022-4498

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
In TP-Link routers, Archer C5 and WR710N-V1, running the latest available code, when receiving HTTP Basic Authentication the httpd service can be sent a crafted packet that causes a heap overflow. This can result in either a DoS (by crashing the httpd process) or an arbitrary code execution.

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 · moderate confidence

A heap overflow vulnerability exists in the httpd service of TP-Link Archer C5 and WR710N-V1 routers. The vulnerability is triggered via crafted HTTP Basic Authentication packets, allowing attackers to either crash the httpd process (DoS) or achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the httpd service.

MitigationRestrict access to the router's web management interface to trusted networks only, disable remote HTTP management if not required, and monitor TP-Link for firmware updates addressing 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
Archer C5 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 2_160201_us
Tl Wr710n FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 1_151022_us

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:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the device model
    Access the router's web interface or check the device label to confirm the exact model number is TP-Link Archer C5 or TP-Link TL-WR710N
    Affected if The device is not one of these two models, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Check the installed firmware version
    Log into the router's web management interface and navigate to the Status or System section to view the firmware version, or use the router's admin console to run 'version' or check /etc/version
    Affected if The firmware version is exactly 2_160201_us (Archer C5) or 1_151022_us (WR710N)
  3. Verify the httpd web service is running
    Access the router via SSH or telnet and run 'ps' to list running processes, looking for httpd, or check if the web interface on port 80 or 443 is responsive
    Affected if The httpd process is not running and the web interface is inaccessible, the attack surface does not exist
  4. Confirm HTTP management is accessible
    Attempt to reach the router's web interface from the network by browsing to the router's IP address, or check the router's administration settings for 'HTTP Management' or 'Remote Management' status
    Affected if The HTTP Basic Authentication page is reachable, the vulnerability is potentially exploitable

A user is affected if they own a TP-Link Archer C5 (firmware 2_160201_us) or TL-WR710N (firmware 1_151022_us) with the httpd web service accessible on their network.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict access to the router's web management interface to trusted networks only, disable remote HTTP management if not required, and monitor TP-Link for firmware updates addressing this vulnerability.

Fix this in Archer C5 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,800
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2022-4498 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data