CVE-2023-33538
CVE-2023-33538 is a security flaw in TP-Link Multiple Routers, routers for homes and small offices. Attackers can run commands on TP-Link Multiple Routers. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 16 Jun 2025.[1]
TP-Link Multiple Routers is in things households have: home and small-office routers, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. TP-Link has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it a command injection in TP-Link Multiple Routers. In its words: “TP-Link TL-WR940N V2/V4, TL-WR841N V8/V10, and TL-WR740N V1/V2 contain a command injection vulnerability via the component /userRpm/WlanNetworkRpm. The impacted products could be end-of-life (EoL) and/or end-of-service (EoS). Users should discontinue product utilization.”[1]
The underlying weakness is command injection (CWE-77), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]
It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; TP-Link’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as TP-Link Multiple Routers.
Every device with TP-Link Multiple Routers needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 16 Jun 2025, 740 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 7 Jul 2025 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 42%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
TP-Link has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”[1]
- Update TP-Link Multiple Routers now.Open the router’s app, or its admin page in a browser, and look for a firmware update. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If the maker has stopped updating it, replace it.Routers stop getting fixes after a few years, and attackers keep a list of the ones that did. If there’s no newer firmware, it won’t be fixed.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 42%.[4] |
See also
Other TP-Link Multiple Routers flaws
- CVE-2025-9377: archer C7(EU) and TL-WR841N/ND(MS) OS command injection ·
Other TP-Link flaws
- CVE-2023-50224, TP-Link TL-WR841N: authentication bypass by spoofing ·
- CVE-2020-24363, TP-Link TL-WA855RE: missing authentication for critical function ·
- CVE-2023-1389, TP-Link Archer AX21: archer AX-21 command injection ·
- CVE-2015-3035, TP-Link Multiple Archer Devices: directory traversal ·
Other command injection flaws
- CVE-2026-105134, AhsayCBS: command injection ·
- CVE-2026-96951, Microsoft Windows: command injection ·
- CVE-2016-3081, Apache Struts: command injection ·
- CVE-2026-8037, Progress LoadMaster: command injection ·
- CVE-2025-29635, D-Link DIR-823X: command injection ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2025-43200, Apple devices: unspecified ·
Every TP-Link flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in June 2025
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “TP-Link Multiple Routers Command Injection Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 16 Jun 2025.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2023-33538 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 7 Jun 2023.
- ^ TP-Link. Advisories and fixes: tp-link.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.416, percentile 98.7, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2023-33538”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.