Evidence dossier

CVE-2023-50224

TP-Link TL-WR841N dropbearpwd Improper Authentication Information Disclosure Vulnerability

Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV since Sep 3, 2025). zdi reports CVSS 3.1 6.5. EPSS estimates 20.0% exploit likelihood as of Oct 22, 2026.

65.2–79.5Priority evidence range
Evidence through Oct 22, 2026, 6:07 PM UTC

As of Oct 22, 2026

Normalized restatement

TP-Link TL-WR841N dropbearpwd Improper Authentication Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of TP-Link TL-WR841N routers. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the httpd service, which listens on TCP port 80 by default. The issue results from improper authentication. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to disclose stored credentials, leading to further compromise. Was ZDI-CAN-19899.

State
PUBLISHED
Published
May 3, 2024
Updated
Sep 2, 2026
Evidence coverage
85%

Evidence chronology

What was known when

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  1. Source dateFirst observed by CASCA
    CISA KEV

    Exploitation cataloged: TP-Link TL-WR841N Authentication Bypass by Spoofing Vulnerability

    Inspect raw assertion
    Field
    observed_exploitation
    Value
    TP-Link TL-WR841N Authentication Bypass by Spoofing Vulnerability
    Original evidence ↗
  2. Source dateSource date omittedFirst observed by CASCA
    CISA-ADP

    Record text: CISA ADP Vulnrichment

    Inspect raw assertion
    Field
    container
    Value
    CISA ADP Vulnrichment
    Original evidence ↗
  3. Source dateSource date omittedFirst observed by CASCA
    CVE Program

    Record text: CVE Program Container

    Inspect raw assertion
    Field
    container
    Value
    CVE Program Container
    Original evidence ↗
  4. Source dateSource date omittedFirst observed by CASCA
    zdi

    Record text: TP-Link TL-WR841N dropbearpwd Improper Authentication Information Disclosure Vulnerability

    Inspect raw assertion
    Field
    container
    Value
    TP-Link TL-WR841N dropbearpwd Improper Authentication Information Disclosure Vulnerability
    Original evidence ↗
  5. Source dateFirst observed by CASCA
    FIRST EPSS

    EPSS score: 20.02% probability · 97.44th percentile

    Inspect raw assertion
    Field
    model_probability
    Value
    Probability 0.200210000000; percentile 0.974360000000
    Original evidence ↗
ExploitationCatalog member

CISA KEV · catalog date Sep 3, 2025 · first observed Sep 1, 2026

Exploit likelihood20.02%

FIRST EPSS · score date Oct 22, 2026 · 97.4th percentile · first observed Oct 22, 2026

SeverityCVSS 6.5

zdi · CVSS 3.1 · first observed Sep 2, 2026 · same-version scores align in this snapshot

Evidence detail

Source limits and decisions

Why each evidence state has this value

Outside this view’s verified evidence

Reason detail begins outside this selected snapshot; the state remains source-bound.

Source comparison

Who said what

CISA KEVOriginal assertion
Exploitation cataloged

TP-Link TL-WR841N Authentication Bypass by Spoofing Vulnerability

Inspect raw assertion
Field
observed_exploitation
Value
TP-Link TL-WR841N Authentication Bypass by Spoofing Vulnerability
Source dateFirst observed by CASCAOriginal evidence ↗
CISA-ADPIndependent enrichment
Record text

CISA ADP Vulnrichment

Inspect raw assertion
Field
container
Value
CISA ADP Vulnrichment
Source dateSource date omittedFirst observed by CASCAOriginal evidence ↗
CVE ProgramDerivative copy
Record text

CVE Program Container

Inspect raw assertion
Field
container
Value
CVE Program Container
Source dateSource date omittedFirst observed by CASCAOriginal evidence ↗
zdiOriginal assertion
Record text

TP-Link TL-WR841N dropbearpwd Improper Authentication Information Disclosure Vulnerability

Inspect raw assertion
Field
container
Value
TP-Link TL-WR841N dropbearpwd Improper Authentication Information Disclosure Vulnerability
Source dateSource date omittedFirst observed by CASCAOriginal evidence ↗
FIRST EPSSOriginal assertion
EPSS score

20.02% probability · 97.44th percentile

Inspect raw assertion
Field
model_probability
Value
Probability 0.200210000000; percentile 0.974360000000
Source dateFirst observed by CASCAOriginal evidence ↗

Applicability

Cited product scope

Trace impact →
2Underlying assertions
2Canonical products
1Target assertions
1Constraint assertions

Grouped from 2 configuration nodes in this exact snapshot. Visual grouping is navigational; asset exposure and root cause require cited evidence.

Identity source boundaries
  • Cpe dictionary1,775,266 records · observed through 2026-07-21T06:45:29.809Z27d65b0f-b718-4b4f-bb79-c47c68d09dfa
  • Cpe match643,502 records · observed through 2026-07-21T08:13:17.697Z955dae73-7302-438b-aee1-058d7cc5d48e

25 scope groups

CISA-ADP · source assertedtp-linktl-wr841n_firmwareDirect source scope
Affected: 0 to before 12.0 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "0", "lessThan": "12.0", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkArcher C5Direct source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkArcher C7Direct source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V2_241108 (custom comparison)Affected: V3 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V2_241108", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-MR3420Direct source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)Affected: V3 (custom comparison)Affected: V4 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-MR6400Direct source scope
Affected: V1 (custom comparison)Affected: V2 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V1", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WA801NDDirect source scope
Affected: V3 (custom comparison)Affected: V4 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WA901NDDirect source scope
Affected: V3 (custom comparison)Affected: V4 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V4_201030 (custom comparison)Affected: V5 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V5_201030 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V4_201030", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V5", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V5_201030", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WDR3500Direct source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WDR3600Direct source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WDR4300Direct source scope
Affected: V1 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V1", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR1043NDDirect source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)Affected: V3 (custom comparison)Affected: V4 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR1045NDDirect source scope
Affected: RU V2 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "RU V2", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR740NDirect source scope
Affected: V4 (custom comparison)Affected: V5 (custom comparison)Affected: V6 (custom comparison)Affected: V7 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V5", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V6", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V7", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR741NDDirect source scope
Affected: V4 (custom comparison)Affected: V5 (custom comparison)Affected: V6 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V5", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V6", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR749NDirect source scope
Affected: BR 6.0 (custom comparison)Affected: BR 7.0 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "BR 6.0", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "BR 7.0", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR840NDirect source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)Affected: V3 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR841NDirect source scope
Affected: 3.16.9 build 200409 (custom comparison)Affected: V8 (custom comparison)Affected: V9 (custom comparison)Affected: V10 (custom comparison)Affected: V11 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V11_211209 (custom comparison)Affected: V12 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V12_230317 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "3.16.9 build 200409", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V8", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V9", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V10", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V11", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V11_211209", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V12", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V12_230317", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR841NDDirect source scope
Affected: V8 (custom comparison)Affected: V9 (custom comparison)Affected: V10 (custom comparison)Affected: V11 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V11_211209 (custom comparison)Affected: V12 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V12_230317 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V8", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V9", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V10", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V11", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V11_211209", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V12", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V12_230317", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR842NDirect source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)Affected: V3 (custom comparison)Affected: V4 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR842NDDirect source scope
Affected: V2 (custom comparison)Affected: V3 (custom comparison)Affected: V4 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V3", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V4", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR845NDirect source scope
Affected: V1 (custom comparison)Affected: V2 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V1", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V2", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR941NDDirect source scope
Affected: V5 (custom comparison)Affected: V6 (custom comparison)Unaffected: V6_220610 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V5", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "affected", "version": "V6", "versionType": "custom"}, {"status": "unaffected", "version": "V6_220610", "versionType": "custom"}]
zdi · source assertedTP-LinkTL-WR945NDirect source scope
Affected: V1 (custom comparison)
Source-reported scope

Canonical linkage remains open; the cited source assertion is retained below.

Inspect raw assertion[{"status": "affected", "version": "V1", "versionType": "custom"}]
NVD CPE · HARDWAREtp-linktl-wr841nEnvironmental constraint · 1 assertions
Version 12Canonical identity product-afe079d295eb0172f77ccb0bf344cffaff32f51eed83f0661820a02f614a835bLinked exact
Scope constrained
Inspect raw assertion
  1. cpe:2.3:h:tp-link:tl-wr841n:12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Official link
    Linked exact
    Role
    Environmental constraint
    Configuration
    0 · node/1 · match 0
    Logic
    OR
    Version bounds
    No explicit bounds
    Match ID
    e855a3d8-9968-4df9-890d-62028472a11b
NVD CPE · OPERATING SYSTEMtp-linktl-wr841n_firmwareVulnerable target · 1 assertions
Version 3.16.9Canonical identity product-d058d3adc752ef645021364b044603ee3e3e85e2803ed68bbcb5339a00fd9b14Linked exact
Scope supported
Inspect raw assertion
  1. cpe:2.3:o:tp-link:tl-wr841n_firmware:3.16.9:build_200409:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Official link
    Linked exact
    Role
    Vulnerable target
    Configuration
    0 · node/0 · match 0
    Logic
    OR
    Version bounds
    No explicit bounds
    Match ID
    02c7e519-f7a1-419f-bd07-b919a21e966e

Affected-product evidence

Accepted scope and product mapping

0 canonical links · 0 source-reported links

Applicability remains source-scoped; safety and exposure remain unassessed.

Assessments

CVSS by origin

6.5
zdi-disclosures@trendmicro.comCVSS 3.1 · role Secondary · priority eligiblevalid_matchCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
6.5
zdiCVSS 3.1 · role unknown · display onlyDirect record assessment retained outside normalized eligibilityCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Evidence boundaries

  • KEV membership is authoritative for the catalog, not proof of exposure in any environment.
  • EPSS is a dated model probability and not an individual-environment prediction.
  • Affected or fixed status applies only to the exact cited product and version scope; remaining scope stays source-scoped.
  • NVD-carried upstream facts remain derivative; independent corroboration requires a separately authored source.
  • Only NVD metrics validated under the generation-bound calculator are Public Priority eligible; direct CVE record metrics remain display-only.
  • NVD CVSS source eligibility is closed: NVD-authored, exact record-source, or registered same-CVE container origin; unmapped sources remain display-only.
  • Affected-product evidence remains source-scoped; canonical linkage is required before applicability scoring.
  • Core replay supports the active and immediately prior generation; retrospective valid-at replay is deferred.
  • OSV aggregation and OSV-converted NVD material are not independent corroboration.
  • Red Hat facts are vendor assertions for the exact supplied products.
  • Nonmembership and not-yet-observed states are not proof of safety.