CVE-2023-1389

Confirmed PUBLISHED

TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800) firmware versions before 1.1.4 Build 20230219 contained a command injection vulnerability in the country form of the...

TP-Link · TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800)

Exploited in the wild Active exploitation observed PoC available Virtual patch available

Recommended Action

Prioritize immediate patching and validate internet-facing exposure. Monitor for matching exploitation attempts in your environment.

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Confidence

Confirmed

Exploitation Status

Active exploitation observed

Observed in Sensors

Yes

Attempts (30d)

Unique Attacker IPs

CISA KEV

In CISA KEV

Virtual Patch

Yes 3 targets

CVSS / EPSS

8.8 High EPSS 100.0%

At a Glance

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.

nessus_scanner cisa nuclei_scanner edge windows

CVE Published: Mar 15, 2023
Exploitation Reported: Apr 26, 2025
CVSS: 8.8 High
EPSS: 100.0%

Low complexity No user interaction Unauthenticated

Affected Versions

Vendor	Product	Version	Status
n/a	TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800)	All versions prior to version 1.14 Build 20230219	Affected

CVE References

tenable.com/security/research/tra-2023-11 tenable.com · CVE Record https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2023-11
packetstormsecurity.com/files/174131/TP-Link-Archer-AX21-Command-Inj... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174131/TP-Link-Archer-AX21-Comma...

Recommended Actions

Prioritize immediate patching and validate internet-facing exposure. Monitor for matching exploitation attempts in your environment.
Review sensor telemetry for request paths, attacker IPs, and payload patterns that may inform detection and exposure validation.
Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.

Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources

Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.

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Source	Added
CISA First	2023-05-01 00:00 UTC
The Shadowserver	2026-06-01 00:00 UTC
KEVIntel	2026-06-11 06:25 UTC

Operational indicators for this CVE are listed on the Detection tab.

Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)

Attacker IP IoCs observed in KEVIntel sensors are available to Pro and Enterprise accounts on the Detection tab and through the Pro API.

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Observed Detection Signals (30d)

Aggregate counts from KEVIntel sensor telemetry for this CVE.

Distinct request paths: 1
Distinct User-Agents: 11

The specific request paths and User-Agents attackers are using are available on Pro and Enterprise plans.

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Scanner Artifacts

Nuclei and Metasploit references linked to this CVE.

Scanner	Reference	Detected
Nuclei	https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-1389.yaml	Jun 02, 2025

CVSS Scores

CVSS v3.1 8.8 High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation Status

Exploited in the wild

Recorded 2025-04-26 00:00:00 UTC · The Shadowserver

Active exploitation observed

Recorded 2026-06-11 06:25:10 UTC · KEVIntel sensor

Proof of concept available

Recorded 2023-07-28 03:09:00 UTC · GitHub

Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-77

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')

Scanner Integrations

Scanner	Reference	Detected
Nuclei	https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2023/CVE-2023-1389.yaml	Jun 02, 2025
Nessus	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/177632	Jun 02, 2025

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

Terminal1337/CVE-2023-1389

github · Created 2023-09-09 15:53:22 UTC · 12 stars

TP-Link Archer AX21 - Unauthenticated Command Injection [Loader]

Voyag3r-Security/CVE-2023-1389

github · Created 2023-07-28 03:09:00 UTC · 11 stars

TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800) - Unauthenticated Command Injection

nuclei · Created Unknown

Timeline

Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.

22 Jun 2026 14:21 UTC 26 days ago

22 Jun 2026 14:21 UTC · 26 days ago

Virtual patch available

Compensating WAF rule available to block exploitation
11 Jun 2026 06:25 UTC about 1 month ago

11 Jun 2026 06:25 UTC · about 1 month ago

Observed by KEVIntel sensors

Evidence-backed exploitation signal
11 Jun 2026 06:25 UTC about 1 month ago

11 Jun 2026 06:25 UTC · about 1 month ago

Indicators of compromise added (10)

Indicators of compromise recorded
1 Jun 2026 00:00 UTC about 2 months ago

1 Jun 2026 00:00 UTC · about 2 months ago

KEV confirmed by The Shadowserver

Exploitation attested by an external source
2 Jun 2025 14:11 UTC about 1 year ago

2 Jun 2025 14:11 UTC · about 1 year ago

Nuclei template available

Scanner coverage available
2 Jun 2025 09:26 UTC about 1 year ago

2 Jun 2025 09:26 UTC · about 1 year ago

Nessus plugin available

Scanner coverage available
28 Jul 2023 03:09 UTC almost 3 years ago

28 Jul 2023 03:09 UTC · almost 3 years ago

Public PoC available

Public proof-of-concept code published
1 May 2023 00:00 UTC about 3 years ago

1 May 2023 00:00 UTC · about 3 years ago

Added to CISA KEV

Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
15 Mar 2023 00:00 UTC over 3 years ago

15 Mar 2023 00:00 UTC · over 3 years ago

CVE published

Vulnerability disclosed publicly
14 Mar 2023 00:00 UTC over 3 years ago

14 Mar 2023 00:00 UTC · over 3 years ago

CVE ID reserved

Identifier reserved by the CNA

Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API

Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

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Pro API Example

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2023-1389

{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2023-1389",
  "title": "TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800) firmware versions before 1.1.4 Build 20230219 co...",
  "affected_vendor": "TP-Link",
  "affected_product": "TP-Link Archer AX21 (AX1800)",
  "affected_versions": [
    { "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
  ],
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 8.8,
  "epss_score": 0.99999,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": true
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
  "proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
  "scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}

The free JSON API returns basic KEV fields only. Confidence, telemetry, and artifact enrichment require Pro API access.

CVE-2023-1389

At a Glance

Affected Versions

CVE References

Recommended Actions

Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources

Observed Exploitation Attempts

Exploitation Attempts Over the Last 39 Days

See more exploitation detail

Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)

Observed Detection Signals (30d)

Scanner Artifacts

Virtual Patch

Supported Platforms

CVSS Scores

Exploitation Status

Weaknesses (CWE)

Scanner Integrations

Potential Proof of Concepts

Timeline

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