Cyber Resilience

CVE-2020-12109

RCE in Tp-Link Nc260 Firmware 1.0.5 … 1.5.2

Public PoCHigh EPSSRCECommand Injection
Published
04 May 2020
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.74 99.4th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2020-12109 is a high-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Tp-Link Nc260 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Certain TP-Link devices allow Command Injection. This affects NC200 2.1.9 build 200225, NC210 1.0.9 build 200304, NC220 1.3.0 build 200304, NC230 1.3.0 build 200304, NC250 1.3.0 build 200304, NC260 1.5.2 build 200304, and NC450 1.5.3 build 200304.

CWE(s)
CWE-78

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-22222Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2026-15428Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2026-22224Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2023-36489Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2024-1180Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2023-40531Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2023-39935Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2026-0652Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2026-11409Same vendor: Tp-Link
CVE-2025-15518Same vendor: Tp-Link

Affected Assets

tp-link
nc200 firmware
2.1.6, 2.1.9
tp-link
nc210 firmware
1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.9
tp-link
nc220 firmware
1.2.0, 1.3.0
tp-link
nc230 firmware
1.0.3, 1.2.1, 1.3.0
tp-link
nc250 firmware
1.0.10, 1.0.8, 1.2.1, 1.3.0
tp-link
nc260 firmware
1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.4.1, 1.5.0, 1.5.2
tp-link
nc450 firmware
1.0.15, 1.1.2, 1.3.4, 1.5.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

SC-27 Platform-independent Applications
addresses: CWE-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

SI-10 Information Input Validation
addresses: CWE-78

Validates inputs to block special elements that would alter OS command execution.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.

References