CVE-2023-1389: TP-Link Archer AX-21 Command Injection Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 1 May 2023, 47 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 100%
EPSS score, percentile 100 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 8.8 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
Required action (CISA), due 22 May 2023: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected: All versions prior to version 1.14 Build 20230219
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 22 May 2023.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
- https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/archer-ax21/v3/#Firmware
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1389
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | All versions prior to version 1.14 Build 20230219 |
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
TP-Link Archer AX-21 contains a command injection vulnerability that allows for remote code execution.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2023-1389 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 1 May 2023.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 22 May 2023.
- The CVE record was published on 15 Mar 2023, 47 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (High), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 100% (percentile 100), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800) firmware versions before 1.1.4 Build 20230219 contained a command injection vulnerability in the country form of the /cgi-bin/luci;stok=/locale endpoint on the web management interface. Specifically, the country parameter of the write operation was not sanitized before being used in a call to popen(), allowing an unauthenticated attacker to inject commands, which would be run as root, with a simple POST request.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
- CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 Mar 2023 | CVE record published |
| 1 May 2023 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 22 May 2023 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 21 Oct 2025 | CVE record last updated |
References
More exploited TP-Link vulnerabilities
- CVE-2023-50224: TP-Link TL-WR841N Authentication Bypass by Spoofing Vulnerability
- CVE-2025-9377: TP-Link Archer C7(EU) and TL-WR841N/ND(MS) OS Command Injection Vulnerability
- CVE-2020-24363: TP-link TL-WA855RE Missing Authentication for Critical Function Vulnerability
- CVE-2023-33538: TP-Link Multiple Routers Command Injection Vulnerability
- CVE-2015-3035: TP-Link Multiple Archer Devices Directory Traversal Vulnerability