CVE-2019-17147 Memory corruption in TL-WR841N

High 8.8 Published 7 Jan 2020 Updated 5 Aug 2024

Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code as admin on TP-Link TL-WR841N routers via a buffer overflow in the web service Host header parsing.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2019-17147?

CVE-2019-17147 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in TP-Link TL-WR841N, published on 7 Jan 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of TP-LINK TL-WR841N routers. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the web service, which listens on TCP port 80 by default. When parsing the Host request header, the process does not properly validate the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length static buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the admin user. Was ZDI-CAN-8457.

Weakness: CWE-120

Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-17147?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Tp-Link Tl-Wr841n Firmware.

How do I fix CVE-2019-17147?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-17147 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2019-17147 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-17147 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code: 2 proofs of concept on GitHub.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-9chw-9f2x-67h9.