TP-Link security advisory

Number: AV19-073
Date: 10 April 2019

TP-Link has released firmware updates to address a vulnerability VulnerabilityA flaw or weakness in the design or implementation of an information system or its environment that could be exploited to adversely affect an organization's assets or operations. affecting two of its routers: TL-WR940N and TL-WR941ND. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially-crafted Internet Control Message Protocol echo requests (ping requests) to the affected system, resulting in a buffer overflow and thus possible control of the system. A buffer overflow is when, as the name implies, a program writes data to a buffer in memory for which there is no bounds checking, thus allowing data to be written past the buffer into adjacent memory locations. This could, in turn, allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to remote control of the machine.

CCCS encourages users and administrators to review the TP-Link download pages for the affected routers and apply the necessary updates:

https://www.tp-link.com/en/support/download/tl-wr940n (TL-WR940N)

https://www.tp-link.com/en/support/download/tl-wr941nd (TL-WR941ND)

Note to Readers

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Cyber securityThe protection of digital information, as well as the integrity of the infrastructure housing and transmitting digital information. More specifically, cyber security includes the body of technologies, processes, practices and response and mitigation measures designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access so as to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability. (Cyber Centre) operates as part of the Communications Security Establishment. We are Canada’s national authority on cyber security and we lead the government’s response to cyber security events. As Canada's national computer security incident response team, the Cyber Centre works in close collaboration with government departments, critical infrastructure Critical infrastructureProcesses, systems, facilities, technologies, networks, assets, and services essential to the health, safety, security, or economic well-being of Canadians and the effective functioning of government. Critical infrastructure can be stand-alone or interconnected and interdependent within and across provinces, territories, and national borders. Disruptions of critical infrastructure could result in catastrophic loss of life, adverse economic effects, and significant harm to public confidence. , Canadian businesses and international partners to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and recover from cyber events. We do this by providing authoritative advice and support, and coordinating information sharing and incident response. The Cyber Centre is outward-facing, welcoming partnerships that help build a stronger, more resilient cyber space in Canada.