dbcve.org
Improper Signature VerificationWeakness · CWE-347

CVE-2024-54126

HIGH · 8.5 CVSS v4.0 Published 2024-12-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
87/100
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
This vulnerability exists in the TP-Link Archer C50 due to improper signature verification mechanism in the firmware upgrade process at its web interface. An attacker with administrative privileges within the router’s Wi-Fi range could exploit this vulnerability by uploading and executing malicious firmware which could lead to complete compromise of the targeted device.

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

The TP-Link Archer C50 has an improper signature verification mechanism in its firmware upgrade process via the web interface. An attacker with administrative privileges within Wi-Fi range can upload and execute malicious firmware, achieving full device compromise.

MitigationRestrict administrative access by using strong, unique passwords and WPA3/WPA2 encryption; isolate the router on a separate network segment; monitor for vendor firmware updates addressing the signature verification flaw.

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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. Confirm device model is TP-Link Archer C50
    Locate the device label on the router chassis or access the web management interface and check the Device Info or Status page to verify the exact model number.
    Affected if The device is a TP-Link Archer C50 and the firmware has not been updated to a version that includes signature verification fixes.
  2. Identify the current firmware version
    Log into the router web interface (typically at http://tplinkwifi.net or http://192.168.0.1), navigate to System > Firmware Upgrade or Status page, and record the displayed firmware version number.
    Affected if The installed firmware version predates the vendor fix for CVE-2024-54126 and has not been patched.
  3. Verify web management interface accessibility
    Attempt to access the router web interface from a connected device. Check if the HTTPS or HTTP management pages are reachable.
    Affected if The web interface is exposed and accessible, which is required for the firmware upload attack vector described in this CVE.
  4. Check administrative account status
    In the web management interface, go to System > Administration or Management > Admin Account. Verify if the default admin username/password is still in use or if strong credentials are configured.
    Affected if Administrative credentials are weak, default, or compromised, allowing an attacker to authenticate to the firmware upgrade function.
  5. Determine if Wi-Fi is enabled and assess range exposure
    In the wireless settings of the web interface, confirm whether Wi-Fi radios are enabled. Note that the CVE specifies the attacker must be within Wi-Fi range.
    Affected if Wi-Fi is enabled and the router is accessible from an area where untrusted individuals could be within wireless range.

A user is affected if they are running a TP-Link Archer C50 with firmware that predates the signature verification fix, have the web management interface accessible, and have administrative credentials that could be obtained by an attacker within Wi-Fi range.

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 administrative access by using strong, unique passwords and WPA3/WPA2 encryption; isolate the router on a separate network segment; monitor for vendor firmware updates addressing the signature verification flaw.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-54126 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-54126 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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