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Cross-site Scripting (XSS)Weakness · CWE-79

CVE-2026-8699

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-07-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
7 weeks old

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
A stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been identified in the web-based management interface of Archer C5 v6.8 routers, due to insufficient server-side validation and lack of proper output encoding of user-controlled input in a certain field.  An attacker with administrative privileges can inject crafted HTML or JS payloads into the affected field. The payload is stored and later executed when the affected page is rendered in an administrator's browser.Successful exploitation allows execution of arbitrary JavaScript in an admin's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking and unauthorized access to router configuration, possibly resulting in exposure of sensitive data and modification of device settings. The vulnerability affects ISP-managed firmware variants of the product. Remediation is coordinated through service providers.

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

A stored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability exists in the Archer C5 v6.8 router web management interface. An authenticated administrator can inject malicious HTML/JavaScript into a specific input field that lacks proper server-side validation and output encoding. The payload persists and executes when other administrators view the affected page.

MitigationUsers must contact their ISP for firmware updates as this affects ISP-managed variants. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for unusual admin account activity as interim compensating controls.

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
A
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:A/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 Archer C5
    Access the router's web management interface and navigate to the Status or System Information page to view the device model name. Alternatively, check the device label or packaging for the model number.
    Affected if The device model displayed is not Archer C5, then this CVE does not apply.
  2. Check firmware version is v6.8
    In the router's web management interface, go to Status or System Information page and locate the firmware version field. Compare the installed version against v6.8.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is v6.8, the device may be affected by this vulnerability.
  3. Verify web management interface is enabled
    Attempt to access the router's web interface by entering the router's IP address in a web browser. Confirm the login page loads and authentication is possible.
    Affected if The web management interface is disabled or not accessible, the XSS vulnerability cannot be exploited.
  4. Confirm administrative access exists
    Log into the router's web management interface using administrator credentials. Verify the account has privileged access to configuration settings.
    Affected if No administrator account exists or is required, the stored XSS attack vector via authenticated admin is not applicable.
  5. Inspect admin input fields for potential XSS vulnerabilities
    Since the specific vulnerable input field is not identified in the CVE summary, examine common admin configuration pages such as network settings, wireless configuration, or system settings. Submit benign HTML characters in input fields and check if they are reflected back without encoding.
    Affected if Input fields accept and reflect back HTML/JavaScript characters unescaped, the environment may be vulnerable to stored XSS.

A user is affected if they are running Archer C5 firmware v6.8 with the web management interface enabled and have administrator accounts configured, as this creates the conditions for the stored XSS to be injected and executed.

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

Users must contact their ISP for firmware updates as this affects ISP-managed variants. Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for unusual admin account activity as interim compensating controls.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
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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-2026-8699 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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