CVE-2023-36355
Memory Safety in Tp-Link Tl-Wr940N Firmware
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-36355 is a critical-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Tp-Link Tl-Wr940N Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.9 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
TP-Link TL-WR940N V4 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in the ipStart parameter of the /userRpm/WanDynamicIpV6CfgRpm endpoint, classified under CWE-120. The flaw was disclosed on 2023-06-22 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.9, reflecting network-accessible, low-complexity attack conditions with low privileges required and impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
An attacker with limited privileges can submit a crafted GET request to the affected endpoint, triggering the overflow and resulting in a denial of service. The same conditions enable potential further impacts consistent with the CVSS vector, though public descriptions emphasize service disruption on the wireless router.
Public references consist of exploit artifacts published on PacketStorm and detailed write-ups on GitHub that demonstrate the buffer write out-of-bounds condition. The associated EPSS score reached a peak of 0.4295 with a current value of 0.3434, indicating a material rise in exploitation interest after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-40323
Vulnerability Data
TP-Link TL-WR940N V4 was discovered to contain a buffer overflow via the ipStart parameter at /userRpm/WanDynamicIpV6CfgRpm. This vulnerability allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted GET request.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
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Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.2.1
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.
Platform-independent managed code eliminates the need for unchecked native buffer copies that are the root cause of classic buffer overflows.
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.
Secure development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.
Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.
Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.
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.
Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.
Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.
Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.
Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.