CVE-2022-46139Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Router denial of service via forged firmware checksums

Published Dec 20, 2022 · Updated Apr 17, 2025

Firmware verification failure in TP-Link TL-WR940N V4 3.16.9 and earlier allows man-in-the-middle attackers to disable the router. The web updater trusts replaceable MD5 values in firmware headers, so an attacker can alter kernel bytes, recompute the checksums, and pass integrity validation. The attack requires a privileged network position and a user-initiated HTTP firmware upload; installing the corrupted kernel leaves the device inoperable.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.29%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Firmware verification failure in TP-Link TL-WR940N V4 3.16.9 and earlier allows man-in-the-middle attackers to disable the router. The web updater trusts replaceable MD5 values in firmware headers, so an attacker can alter kernel bytes, recompute the checksums, and pass integrity validation. The attack requires a privileged network position and a user-initiated HTTP firmware upload; installing the corrupted kernel leaves the device inoperable.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-46139
Published
Dec 20, 2022
Updated
Apr 17, 2025
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-345, T1495
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 20, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 17, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
6.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-345Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity
T1495Firmware Corruption

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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