# CVE-2020-5795: Path traversal in TP-Link Archer A7 v5

> An authenticated admin with physical access can execute arbitrary code via a crafted USB drive exploiting symlink following.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 6 Nov 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-948p-g8fc-mhj5

## What is CVE-2020-5795?

CVE-2020-5795 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in TP-Link Archer A7 v5, published on 6 Nov 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following in TP-Link Archer A7(US)_V5_200721 allows an authenticated admin user, with physical access and network access, to execute arbitrary code after plugging a crafted USB drive into the router.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-5795?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Tp-Link Archer A7 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-5795?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-5795 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-5795 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5795 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in TP-Link Archer A7 v5

- [CVE-2021-42232](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42232/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-27245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-27245/): Security feature bypass in Archer A7 (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-5795 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-5795 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in TP-Link Archer A7 v5, published on 6 Nov 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5795 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: TP-Link Archer A7 v5. 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-2020-5795/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5795/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-5795
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5795
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5795

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5795/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.