# CVE-2020-10988: Hardcoded credentials in n/a

> Hardcoded credentials in the Tenda AC15 router allow remote attackers to enable telnet and gain unauthorized access.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 Jul 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7h9g-wf9h-mvcq

## What is CVE-2020-10988?

CVE-2020-10988 is a critical vulnerability in Tenda Ac15 Firmware, published on 13 Jul 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A hard-coded telnet credential in the tenda_login binary of Tenda AC15 AC1900 version 15.03.05.19 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to start a telnetd service on the device.

Weakness: CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-10988?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Tenda Ac15 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-10988?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-10988 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-10988 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-10988 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Tenda Ac15 Firmware

- [CVE-2020-10987](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10987/): Tenda AC1900 Router AC15 Model Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24103](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24103/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-24101](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24101/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-24105](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24105/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-63666](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-63666/): Information disclosure in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-10988 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-10988 is a critical vulnerability in Tenda Ac15 Firmware, published on 13 Jul 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-10988 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Tenda Ac15 Firmware. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10988/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10988/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-10988
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10988
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-10988

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10988/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.