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Classic Buffer OverflowWeakness · CWE-120

CVE-2025-9961

HIGH · 8.6 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-09-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
92/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
An authenticated attacker may remotely execute arbitrary code via the CWMP binary on the devices AX10 and AX1500.  The exploit can only be conducted via a Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attack.  This issue affects AX10 V1/V1.2/V2/V2.6/V3/V3.6: before 1.2.1; AX1500 V1/V1.20/V1.26/V1.60/V1.80/V2.60/V3.6: before 1.3.11.

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

An authenticated attacker with man-in-the-middle positioning can execute arbitrary code remotely through the CWMP (CPE WAN Management Protocol) binary on TP-Link AX10 and AX1500 routers. The vulnerability exists in the CWMP implementation and allows code execution with the privileges of the CWMP service.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware updates (1.2.1+ for AX10, 1.3.11+ for AX1500). Until patched, network segmentation and TLS inspection controls can limit the MITM attack surface.

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/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 router model
    Access router admin interface and navigate to Status or System information page to identify if the device is TP-Link AX10 or AX1500
    Affected if Router is not an AX10 or AX1500 model
  2. Check firmware version
    Navigate to router admin interface, look for Firmware Version or System Upgrade section. Compare the installed version against the fixed releases: AX10 requires 1.2.1 or later, AX1500 requires 1.3.11 or later
    Affected if Firmware version is earlier than 1.2.1 for AX10 or earlier than 1.3.11 for AX1500
  3. Verify CWMP status
    Log into router admin panel, go to Advanced or Network Settings, find CWMP (CPE WAN Management Protocol) or TR-069 settings. Check if CWMP is enabled
    Affected if CWMP is enabled and running
  4. Assess network exposure
    Determine if the WAN interface is directly exposed or if an attacker could achieve man-in-the-middle positioning. Check for untrusted network access to WAN port or lack of VLAN segmentation
    Affected if Router WAN is accessible from untrusted networks or MITM position is plausible

User is affected if running a TP-Link AX10 or AX1500 router with CWMP enabled on firmware versions prior to the fixed releases (1.2.1 for AX10, 1.3.11 for AX1500) and the router is accessible to an attacker in a MITM position.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied firmware updates (1.2.1+ for AX10, 1.3.11+ for AX1500). Until patched, network segmentation and TLS inspection controls can limit the MITM attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

AX10: firmware version 1.2.1 or later; AX1500: firmware version 1.3.11 or later

  1. Identify the exact model number (AX10 or AX1500) and current firmware version of the TP-Link device
  2. Download the latest firmware from TP-Link's official support website (www.tp-link.com) for the specific model
  3. Access the device's web-based management interface through a browser
  4. Navigate to the System or Administration section, then locate Firmware Upgrade
  5. Upload the downloaded firmware file and apply the upgrade
  6. Wait for the device to reboot and verify the new firmware version is installed (1.2.1 or later for AX10; 1.3.11 or later for AX1500)
Caveat Standard firmware upgrade; ensure stable power during update to avoid device damage

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2025-9961 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data