# CVE-2026-8697: Improper Authentication Rate Limiting on TP-Link's Archer C64

> Attackers can brute-force SSH credentials due to missing rate limiting, gaining full administrative access to the router.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA: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:** 28 May 2026
- **Updated:** 29 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f294-r353-6vv8

## What is CVE-2026-8697?

CVE-2026-8697 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in TP-Link Systems Inc. Archer C64 v1.0, published on 28 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Due to improper enforcement of authentication rate-limiting on a debug SSH service in Archer C64 v1, the SSH service allows unlimited authentication attempts and uses the same credentials as the web interface.  This enables an attacker to brute-force valid credentials via SSH.

Successful exploitation could allow an attacker with adjacent network access to obtain administrative credentials through unrestricted authentication attempts and subsequently gain full administrative access to the device, impacting system confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Weakness: CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality), CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-8697?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Tp-Link Archer C64 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-8697?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-8697 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-8697 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-8697 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- writeup (github_poc): https://github.com/itzmetanjim/cve-2026-8697

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-8697 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-8697 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in TP-Link Systems Inc. Archer C64 v1.0, published on 28 May 2026. 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-2026-8697 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: TP-Link Systems Inc. Archer C64 v1.0. 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-2026-8697/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8697/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-8697
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-8697
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-8697

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8697/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.