CVE-2022-24973 Memory corruption in TL-WR940N

Medium 6.8 Published 28 Mar 2023 Updated 19 Feb 2025

Authenticated network-adjacent attackers can execute arbitrary code as root on TP-Link routers via a stack buffer overflow in the httpd service.

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

What is CVE-2022-24973?

CVE-2022-24973 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in TP-Link TL-WR940N, published on 28 Mar 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

This vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of TP-Link TL-WR940N 3.20.1 Build 200316 Rel.34392n (5553) routers. Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the httpd service, which listens on TCP port 80 by default. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length stack-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-13992.

Weakness: CWE-121

Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-24973?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Tp-Link Tl-Wr940n Firmware.

How do I fix CVE-2022-24973?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-24973 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-2022-24973 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-24973 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-xcqw-6vv4-r6mv.