CVE-2024-38471
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 · uneditedMultiple TP-LINK products allow a network-adjacent attacker with an administrative privilege to execute arbitrary OS commands by restoring a crafted backup file. The affected device, with the initial configuration, allows login only from the LAN port or Wi-Fi.
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 confidenceMultiple TP-LINK devices contain a command injection vulnerability in the backup restore function. An attacker with admin credentials can craft a malicious backup file that, when restored to the device, executes arbitrary OS commands due to improper input sanitization of the backup file contents.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/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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Confirm device is TP-LINKAccess the device admin interface or check the device label/menu to verify the manufacturer is TP-LINK. Run 'arp -a' or check DHCP lease tables to identify the device vendor by MAC address prefix (TP-LINK MAC prefixes include 14-CC-20, 50-C7-BF, 1C-3B-F3, etc.).Affected if The target device is not a TP-LINK device, then this CVE does not apply.
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Identify firmware versionLog into the TP-LINK device admin interface (typically via web browser at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1). Navigate to System > Firmware Upgrade or Status page to view the current firmware version. Alternatively, check the device documentation or label for firmware information.Affected if The installed firmware version falls within any known affected version range for this CVE. If the version is unknown or cannot be determined, the device may still be affected.
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Verify administrative access existsConfirm valid admin credentials exist for the device. Attempt to log into the admin web interface with admin-level privileges. Check if default credentials are still in use or if custom admin accounts are configured.Affected if Administrative credentials are required for the backup restore function; without admin access, this specific attack path cannot be exploited.
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Confirm backup restore feature is accessibleIn the device admin interface, look for Settings > Backup & Restore, System Tools > Backup Configuration, or similar menu options. Verify the Restore button or function is present and accessible to the admin user.Affected if The backup restore functionality exists and is accessible to admin users, creating the attack surface for command injection.
A TP-LINK device is affected if it is a TP-LINK device with a vulnerable firmware version that has an accessible backup restore feature and administrative credentials can be obtained by an attacker.
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-supplied firmware updates when available. Until then, restrict administrative access to trusted LAN segments only and avoid restoring backup files from untrusted sources.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-38471 — 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-2024-38471 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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