CVE-2023-33538
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 · uneditedTP-Link TL-WR940N V2/V4, TL-WR841N V8/V10, and TL-WR740N V1/V2 was discovered to contain a command injection vulnerability via the component /userRpm/WlanNetworkRpm .
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 confidenceAuthenticated command injection vulnerability in TP-Link wireless routers (TL-WR940N V2/V4, TL-WR841N V8/V10, TL-WR740N V1/V2). The /userRpm/WlanNetworkRpm web interface component fails to properly sanitize input, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via crafted HTTP requests to the administrative web interface.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the router modelLog into the router's web interface and navigate to Status or System Information page to view the hardware version. Alternatively, check the device label on the router itself for the exact model number (e.g., TL-WR940N V2, TL-WR841N V8, TL-WR740N V1).Affected if The device is a TP-Link TL-WR940N (V2 or V4), TL-WR841N (V8 or V10), or TL-WR740N (V1 or V2).
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Check if the web management interface is accessibleAttempt to access the router's web interface by entering the router's IP address in a web browser. The default IP is typically 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.Affected if The web interface is reachable from network segments outside the trusted local network, indicating potential exposure.
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Verify remote management settingsLog into the router web interface and navigate to Security or Access Control settings. Look for options labeled Remote Management, Remote Access, or Web Management. Check if remote management is enabled and note which IP addresses are allowed access.Affected if Remote management is enabled and permits access from IP addresses outside the trusted internal network range.
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Check for internet-facing exposureUse an external device (not on the local network) or an online port scanner to check if ports 80 or 443 on your public IP address are open and responding to HTTP/HTTPS requests directed at the router.Affected if The router's web management interface is directly accessible from the internet on ports 80 or 443.
The user is affected if they own one of the specified TP-Link models and the router's web interface is accessible from untrusted networks, particularly if remote management is enabled and exposed to the internet.
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. Until then, restrict access to the router's administrative web interface to trusted networks/IPs only, disable remote management via WAN, and monitor for unauthorized access.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,152.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-33538 — 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-2023-33538 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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- 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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