CVE-2026-22221
Published: 02 February 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-22221 is a high-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Tp-Link Archer Be230 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 8.0 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 25.2th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly prevents OS command injection vulnerability by validating and sanitizing inputs to the VPN modules before processing.
Ensures timely remediation of the specific firmware flaw through patching to version 1.2.4 Build 20251218 rel.70420 or later.
Limits damage from successful command injection and privilege escalation by enforcing least privilege on VPN module processes.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
OS command injection in authenticated VPN service allows low-priv adjacent attacker to escalate to full admin (T1068) via exploitation of the device's remote management/VPN service (T1210).
NVD Description
An OS Command Injection vulnerability in TP-Link Archer BE230 v1.2(vpn modules) allows adjacent authenticated attacker execute arbitrary code. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to gain full administrative control of the device, resulting in severe compromise of configuration integrity, network…
more
security, and service availability. This CVE covers one of multiple distinct OS command injection issues identified across separate code paths. Although similar in nature, each instance is tracked under a unique CVE ID.This issue affects Archer BE230 v1.2 < 1.2.4 Build 20251218 rel.70420.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-22221 is an OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) affecting the VPN modules in TP-Link Archer BE230 v1.2 firmware versions prior to 1.2.4 Build 20251218 rel.70420. This issue represents one of multiple distinct OS command injection flaws identified across separate code paths in the device, with each tracked under a unique CVE ID. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.0 (AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
An adjacent, low-privileged authenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the device. Successful exploitation grants full administrative control, enabling severe compromise of the device's configuration integrity, network security, and service availability.
TP-Link advisories recommend mitigation through firmware updates, with patches available via download pages for the Archer BE230 v1.20 on regional support sites, including the US, global, and Singapore variants. A related FAQ provides additional guidance on the update process.
Details
- CWE(s)