CVE-2025-14738
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 · uneditedImproper authentication vulnerability in TP-Link WA850RE (httpd modules) allows unauthenticated attackers to download the configuration file.This issue affects: ≤ WA850RE V2_160527, ≤ WA850RE V3_160922.
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 confidenceImproper authentication vulnerability in TP-Link WA850RE range extender's httpd service allows unauthenticated remote attackers to directly request and download the device configuration file without any authentication credentials. The configuration file typically contains sensitive information including admin passwords, wireless keys, and network settings.
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<= 160527<= 160922CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 model is TP-Link WA850REAccess the device's web management interface or check the device label/sticker to verify the exact model number is TL-WA850REAffected if Device is not a TP-Link WA850RE model
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Check installed firmware versionLog into the device admin interface and navigate to Status or System settings to view the firmware version, or inspect the HTTP response from the device's main page for version informationAffected if Firmware version is 160527 or earlier, or 160922 or earlier (compare your installed version to these affected ranges)
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Test for unauthenticated config file accessSend an HTTP GET request to the device's httpd service endpoint commonly used for config exports (such as /cgi-bin/ConfigExport or similar config download paths) WITHOUT providing any authentication credentialsAffected if The device returns the configuration file contents (containing admin passwords, wireless keys, network settings) without requiring any login or authentication token
The device is affected if it is a TP-Link WA850RE running firmware version 160527 or earlier, or 160922 or earlier, AND the configuration file can be retrieved via httpd without any authentication.
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 network access to the device's management interface, disable remote web management if unnecessary, and place the device in a restricted network segment.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-14738 — 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-2025-14738 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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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.
- 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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