Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/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:XCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-5040 is a high-severity Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort (CWE-916) vulnerability in Tp-Link Deco M5 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Brute Force (T1110); ranked at the 0.6th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-13 (Cryptographic Protection) and IA-5 (Authenticator Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-44362
Vulnerability Data
TP-Link Deco M5 v1 uses a weak password hashing mechanism to store user credentials. An attacker who obtains the password hash through system compromise or privileged access could perform brute-force or dictionary attacks. Successful exploitation may result in disclosure of…
more
authentication credentials, enabling unauthorized access to device management functions, depending on the privileges associated with the recovered password. The primary security impact is loss of confidentiality.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V11.4.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Cryptographic protection mandates selection and use of approved algorithms whose parameters can include sufficient work factors for password hashing.
Authenticator management requires secure generation, distribution, and storage of passwords, directly enforcing computationally expensive hashing schemes.
Protection of information at rest requires cryptographic safeguards on stored password hashes, reducing exposure to offline cracking.
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.
Proper password hashing is a direct instance of using cryptographic hashes to protect data-at-rest.
Secure development practices explicitly include selection and configuration of strong, computationally expensive password hashes.
Authentication policies may reference password handling but do not address storage or computational cost of hashes.
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.
Requires secure handling of authentication information, which includes choosing strong password hashing schemes.
Requires appropriate use of cryptography, which encompasses selecting strong hashing algorithms for passwords.
Secure coding practices include implementing password storage with adequate computational effort.
Mandates secure authentication mechanisms, directly addressing the need for computationally strong password hashes.