# CVE-2020-5797: Path traversal in TP-Link Archer C9 A1

> An attacker with physical access can use a crafted USB drive to read sensitive files and modify limited files on the router via symlink following.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Nov 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6qx3-hcm8-xh2m

## What is CVE-2020-5797?

CVE-2020-5797 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in TP-Link Archer C9 A1, published on 21 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 C9(US)_V1_180125 firmware allows an unauthenticated actor, with physical access and network access, to read sensitive files and write to a limited set of files after plugging a crafted USB drive into the router.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-5797?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Tp-Link Archer C9 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-5797?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-5797 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-5797 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5797 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-5797 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-5797 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in TP-Link Archer C9 A1, published on 21 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-2020-5797 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: TP-Link Archer C9 A1. 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-2020-5797/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5797/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-5797
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5797
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5797

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5797/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.