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Mallory
CriticalPublic exploit

Authentication Bypass in TP-Link TL-WR840N/TL-WR841N CGI Interface

IdentifiersCVE-2018-11714CWE-306

CVE-2018-11714 affects TP-Link TL-WR840N v5 00000005 0.9.1 3.16 v0001.0 Build 170608 Rel.58696n and TL-WR841N v13 00000013 0.9.1 4.16 v0001.0 Build 170622 Rel.64334n. The vulnerability is caused by improper session handling in the /cgi/ folder or a /cgi file. An attacker can bypass authentication for administrative actions by supplying a crafted HTTP Referer header set to "http://192.168.0.1/mainFrame.htm". Because the device trusts this header as if the request originated from an authenticated management context, requests to protected CGI endpoints can be processed without valid authentication.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows an unauthenticated attacker to perform actions that should require authentication on the affected router's management interface. Depending on the reachable CGI functionality, this can permit unauthorized administrative changes to device configuration, weakening of security settings, disruption of network connectivity, and potential follow-on compromise of the device or attached network environment.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Restrict access to the router management interface to trusted internal hosts only, and disable remote administration from untrusted networks. Place management interfaces behind network segmentation or ACLs, and prevent direct internet exposure. Monitor for suspicious requests to /cgi/ endpoints, especially those containing a forged Referer header such as "http://192.168.0.1/mainFrame.htm". As an interim measure, isolate or retire affected devices if patching is not possible.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade to a vendor-fixed firmware version if one is available from TP-Link for the affected models. If no patched firmware is available, replace affected devices with supported hardware receiving security updates. Review device configuration after exposure to ensure no unauthorized administrative changes were made.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.

VALID 1 / 1 TOTALView more in app
cve-2018-11714_POCMaturityPoCVerified exploit

This repository contains a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2018-11714, targeting TP-Link TL-WR840N routers. The exploit leverages improper session handling in the router's web interface, specifically for endpoints under /cgi/. By sending a GET request to the /cgi/conf.bin endpoint with a crafted Referer header, the script bypasses authentication and downloads the router's configuration file. The script then processes the file by removing the first 144 bytes and decrypts the remainder using DES-ECB with a hardcoded key, outputting the plaintext configuration. The repository consists of a README.md describing the vulnerability and a single Python script (poc.py) implementing the exploit. The attack vector is network-based, requiring access to the router's web interface. Several file and HTTP endpoints are fingerprintable, including the specific URLs and output files used in the exploit process.

mikelkarmaDisclosed Jul 23, 2025pythonnetwork
EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
TP-LinkTl-Wr840n Firmwareoperating_system
TP-LinkTl-Wr841n Firmwareoperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

3 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

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Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures1

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity2

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.