CVE Intelligence
Medium Authentication

CVE-2026-12001 — Hardcoded Credential Vulnerability in Multiple TP-Link Router Models

A hardcoded credential vulnerability exists in the firmware of multiple TP-Link routers (TL-WR845N v4, TL-WR850N v3, TL-WR902AC v4, Archer C20 v6 & Archer MR200 v5).  Authentication-related credential material is embedded within a password file in the firmware image and may be recovered through firmware analysis. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized access to privileged functions on affected devices.

Published Jul 27, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: TPLink

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+4
  • Technical severity (medium)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.34%
ahead of 26% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026
Affects
TP-Link Systems Inc.
Archer C20 v6 and 4 more
CVSS base
5.2
Medium · 2 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (TP-Link Systems Inc. Archer C20 v6, TP-Link Systems Inc. Archer MR200 v5, TP-Link Systems Inc. TL-WR845N v4…).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (authentication), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
TP-Link Systems Inc. Archer C20 v6 < Archer C20(US)_V6_250630 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
TP-Link Systems Inc. Archer MR200 v5 < EU_V5.20_1.3.0 Build 260319 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
TP-Link Systems Inc. TL-WR845N v4 < TL-WR845N(UN)_V4_250401 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
TP-Link Systems Inc. TL-WR850N v3 < TL-WR850N(IN)_V3.48_3.16.0 Build 260422_2048 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
TP-Link Systems Inc. TL-WR902AC v4 < US_V4_0.9.1 Build 260810< EU_V4_0.9.3 Build 260728 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Physical
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
None
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
X
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
High
Integrity (vulnerable system)
None
Availability (vulnerable system)
High
Confidentiality (subsequent)
None
Integrity (subsequent)
None
Availability (subsequent)
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
5.2 CVSS 4.0 Medium — — f23511db-6c3e-4e32-a477-6aa17d310630 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
5.2 CVSS 4.0 Medium — — TPLink via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:4.0/AV:P/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X (score shown at the top: f23511db-6c3e-4e32-a477-6aa17d310630)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-798 · Use of Hard-coded Credentials

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
  • Review authentication logs: logins without MFA, anomalous sessions and recently created accounts.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)authentication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · tp-link systems inc./tl-wr850n v3, tp-link systems inc./archer c20 v6, tp link systems inc./tl-wr845n v4, tp-link system
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 15, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 5.2
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Deferred
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Jul 27, 2026 · TPLink

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

11 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

TP-Link Systems Inc.
every CVE for this vendor
Authentication
same class
CWE-798
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-75616 Command Injection in Router Web Management Interface Aug 19, 2026
  • CVE-2026-11834 Unauthenticated Command Injection via DHCP Option Handling in Multiple TP-Link Routers Jun 22, 2026
  • CVE-2026-4346 Cleartext Storage of Administrative and Wi-Fi Credentials via Accessible Serial Interface in TP Link's TL-WR850N Mar 26, 2026
  • CVE-2025-15551 LAN Code Execution on TP-Link Archer MR200, Archer C20, TL-WR850N and TL-WR845N Feb 5, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-12001 is "Hardcoded Credential Vulnerability in Multiple TP-Link Router Models", rated Medium. It affects Archer C20 v6 (TP-Link Systems Inc.); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.2 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.34% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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