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Tl Wr902ac FirmwareOperating system · Tp Link

CVE-2023-36489

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 221008 / 230506 or later.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Multiple TP-LINK products allow a network-adjacent unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary OS commands. Affected products/versions are as follows: TL-WR802N firmware versions prior to 'TL-WR802N(JP)_V4_221008', TL-WR841N firmware versions prior to 'TL-WR841N(JP)_V14_230506', and TL-WR902AC firmware versions prior to 'TL-WR902AC(JP)_V3_230506'.

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 confidence

This is a pre-authentication command injection vulnerability affecting multiple TP-LINK wireless router models (TL-WR802N, TL-WR841N, TL-WR902AC). A network-adjacent unauthenticated attacker can execute arbitrary operating system commands on the affected devices by sending specially crafted requests, effectively giving the attacker full control over the router.

MitigationUpdate firmware on affected devices to the specified versions (TL-WR802N_JL_WR802N(JP)_V4_221008 or later, TL-WR841N_JL_WR841N(JP)_V14_230506 or later, TL-WR902AC_JL_WR902AC(JP)_V3_230506 or later). If updates are unavailable, restrict network access to trusted users only.

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
Tl Wr902ac FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 230506
Tl Wr802n FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 221008
Tl Wr841n FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 230506

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify router model
    Access the router admin interface or check the device label to confirm the exact model number (TL-WR802N, TL-WR841N, or TL-WR902AC)
    Affected if The model is one of the three affected models listed in the CVE
  2. Determine installed firmware version
    Log into the router web interface and navigate to the Status or System settings page to view the current firmware version; alternatively, check the admin interface or router documentation for the version check method
    Affected if Firmware version cannot be determined or is below the fixed versions
  3. Compare firmware version to affected ranges
    Compare your installed firmware version against these thresholds: TL-WR902AC < 230506, TL-WR802N < 221008, TL-WR841N < 230506
    Affected if The installed firmware version is lower than the corresponding threshold for your model
  4. Verify network exposure
    Determine if the router management interface is accessible from untrusted networks (check firewall rules, port forwarding, or WAN accessibility on port 80/443)
    Affected if The router admin interface is exposed to untrusted network segments since exploitation requires network adjacency

You are affected if you have a TL-WR802N, TL-WR841N, or TL-WR902AC router running firmware version below 221008, 230506, or 230506 respectively, and the device is reachable on your 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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 221008 / 230506 or later
Fixed in 221008230506
Interim mitigation

Update firmware on affected devices to the specified versions (TL-WR802N_JL_WR802N(JP)_V4_221008 or later, TL-WR841N_JL_WR841N(JP)_V14_230506 or later, TL-WR902AC_JL_WR902AC(JP)_V3_230506 or later). If updates are unavailable, restrict network access to trusted users only.

Recommended fix High confidence

TL-WR802N: TL-WR802N(JP)_V4_221008 | TL-WR841N: TL-WR841N(JP)_V14_230506 | TL-WR902AC: TL-WR902AC(JP)_V3_230506

  1. 1. Download the appropriate firmware from TP-Link's official support website (www.tp-link.com) for your specific model.
  2. 2. For TL-WR802N: Download 'TL-WR802N(JP)_V4_221008' or later.
  3. 3. For TL-WR841N: Download 'TL-WR841N(JP)_V14_230506' or later.
  4. 4. For TL-WR902AC: Download 'TL-WR902AC(JP)_V3_230506' or later.
  5. 5. Access the router's web management interface by entering the router's IP address in a web browser.
  6. 6. Navigate to the 'System Tools' or 'Firmware Upgrade' section.
  7. 7. Click 'Choose File' or 'Browse' and select the downloaded firmware file.
  8. 8. Click 'Upgrade' or 'Update' and wait for the upgrade to complete (do not power off the router).
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade risk: brief downtime during upgrade; backup router configuration before upgrading as settings may be reset to defaults

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

Fix this in Tl Wr902ac Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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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-2023-36489 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