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Archer C55 FirmwareOperating system · Tp Link

CVE-2023-31188

HIGH · 8.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 230505 / 230506 or later.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Multiple TP-LINK products allow a network-adjacent authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary OS commands. Affected products/versions are as follows: Archer C50 firmware versions prior to 'Archer C50(JP)_V3_230505', Archer C55 firmware versions prior to 'Archer C55(JP)_V1_230506', and Archer C20 firmware versions prior to 'Archer C20(JP)_V1_230616'.

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

This is an OS command injection vulnerability in TP-LINK Archer C50, C55, and C20 routers. A network-adjacent authenticated attacker can exploit insufficient input sanitization in the web management interface to inject and execute arbitrary operating system commands, effectively gaining full control of the affected device.

MitigationUpdate affected TP-LINK Archer routers to the following firmware versions or later: Archer C50 to 'Archer C50(JP)_V3_230505', Archer C55 to 'Archer C55(JP)_V1_230506', and Archer C20 to 'Archer C20(JP)_V1_230616'. Prior to patching, restrict administrative access to trusted users only and minimize exposure of the management interface to untrusted networks.

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 C55 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 230506
Archer C50 V3 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 230505

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/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 router model
    Check the device label on the router or access the web management interface to confirm the exact model number (Archer C50, C55, or C20)
    Affected if Model is TP-LINK Archer C50, C55, or C20
  2. Check firmware version
    Access the router's web management interface and navigate to the Status or Firmware Upgrade section to view the current installed firmware version
    Affected if Firmware version is below 230506 for Archer C55, below 230505 for Archer C50 V3, or unknown for Archer C20 (the exact version ranges for C20 were not specified but the same vulnerability class applies)
  3. Verify web management interface exposure
    Check router settings for Remote Management, Remote Access, or Web Management options to determine if the interface is accessible from the WAN or external network
    Affected if The web management interface is exposed to network-adjacent attackers (not restricted to local LAN only)
  4. Assess authentication accessibility
    Determine whether the router's administrative credentials are guessable, default, or accessible to untrusted users on the network
    Affected if Network-adjacent attackers can obtain valid authentication credentials to access the management interface

A user is affected if they have a TP-LINK Archer C50 (V3), C55, or C20 router running firmware versions below the patched releases (230505/230506), with the web management interface accessible to authenticated network-adjacent attackers.

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 230505 / 230506 or later
Fixed in 230505230506
Interim mitigation

Update affected TP-LINK Archer routers to the following firmware versions or later: Archer C50 to 'Archer C50(JP)_V3_230505', Archer C55 to 'Archer C55(JP)_V1_230506', and Archer C20 to 'Archer C20(JP)_V1_230616'. Prior to patching, restrict administrative access to trusted users only and minimize exposure of the management interface to untrusted networks.

Recommended fix High confidence

Archer C50: Archer C50(JP)_V3_230505 | Archer C55: Archer C55(JP)_V1_230506 | Archer C20: Archer C20(JP)_V1_230616

  1. Access the TP-Link router web management interface by entering the router's IP address in a web browser
  2. Log in with administrator credentials
  3. Navigate to the 'System' or 'Administration' settings section
  4. Look for 'Firmware Upgrade' or 'Router Upgrade' option
  5. Click 'Check for Updates' or manually download the appropriate firmware from TP-Link's official support page
  6. Upload the firmware file and initiate the upgrade process
  7. Wait for the upgrade to complete and the router to reboot automatically
  8. After reboot, verify the firmware version matches the fixed release

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

Fix this in Archer C55 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.

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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-2023-31188 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