Sensitive traffic disclosure via hard-coded encryption keys
Published Oct 18, 2022 · Updated May 15, 2025
Hard-coded cryptographic keys in TP-Link Archer AX10 V1 firmware 211117 allow man-in-the-middle attackers to read sensitive web traffic. The web app client exposes the same static communication keys at the login page, while only a nine-digit sequence key varies and can be brute-forced offline. A man-in-the-middle position between a web client and the router is required, and the demonstrated consequence is decryption of captured sensitive information.
Summary
What happened
Hard-coded cryptographic keys in TP-Link Archer AX10 V1 firmware 211117 allow man-in-the-middle attackers to read sensitive web traffic. The web app client exposes the same static communication keys at the login page, while only a nine-digit sequence key varies and can be brute-forced offline. A man-in-the-middle position between a web client and the router is required, and the demonstrated consequence is decryption of captured sensitive information.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-41540
- Published
- Oct 18, 2022
- Updated
- May 15, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-798, T1557
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 15, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- Offline decryption proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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