Vulnerability in TP-Link Ue330

CVE-2021-38543

TP-Link UE330 USB splitter devices through 2021-08-09, in certain specific use cases in which the device supplies power to audio-output equipment, allow remote attackers to recover speech signals from an LED on the device, via a telescope and an electro-optical sensor, aka a "Glowworm" attack. We assume that the USB splitter supplies power to some speakers. The power indicator LED of the USB splitter is connected directly to the power line, as a result, the intensity of the USB splitter's power indicator LED is correlative to its power consumption. The sound played by the connected speakers affects the USB splitter's power consumption and as a result is also correlative to the light intensity of the LED. By analyzing measurements obtained from an electro-optical sensor directed at the power indicator LED of the USB splitter, we can recover the sound played by the connected speakers.

EPSS: 0.013 (67.3th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.9 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

Affected products

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-38543?
CVE-2021-38543 is a medium-severity vulnerability in TP-Link Ue330. CVSS score: 5.9/10. Published 2021-08-11.
How severe is CVE-2021-38543?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.9 out of 10.