TP-Link Easy Smart Switch security question

A Former User

Several ways here might be able to go with gaining the entire security using dump switches and/or smart ones up to real small layer3 switches.

Plain Routing (using dump switches)
If you are using the pfSense as firewall you may be able to set up on any LAN port a small or greater dump switch.

Network plugs in the wall --- patch panel --- some ports from patch panel to a dump switches --- dump switch to the pfSense firewall

So will be able to connect all WiFi APs to one Switch
Livingroom and house electric (smarthome) to another one
sons room to one switch
daughters room to one switch

and each of the switches will be connected to one LAN port of the pfSense, you may be now routing it all
through the pfSense and you work with rules.

Pro

cheap
easy to manage

Cons

but only one routing point
firewall must do the entire routing

Smart Switches (Using VLANs)
If you are using a smart switch you may be able to work with VLANs in your network and segment it in to many parts. You can now work with rules on the pfSense and
on top with ACLs on the Switch directly. The VLAN1 or VLAN0 is often so called default VLAM or management VLAN used only by the admin. After you were creating all your VLANs often you lay over another one (one over all the others) but not the VLAN1 (default) and with ACLs
you may now creating who has hands on what VLAN.

Pros

cheap
small broadcast domain
better overview over devices
better structured or segmented network
the admin owns now a management VLAN

Cons

ARP spoofing is not solved
Inter VLAN hopping is not solved
VLANs must be created and ACLs must be set up
the management VLAN can be miss used by others

Greater Smart or managed Switches VLANs, MacSec, multiple Radius auth. for each switch port

You will be setting up VLANs as before;

one management VLAN1 (default)
all other with a great one over all others
Setting up ACLs

But now you will be able to turn on MacSec, and now one is able to sniff inside of that Switch(es), you will be able to stack them (ring) to better manage them. And you will be able to set up on your pfSense the FreeRadius package or
another FreeRadius server on an RaspBerry PI or PC Engines APU1/2/3/4/6 if needed. You will be able to gain your security over installing OpenLDAP (wired clients),
FreeRadius Server with certificates, (wired and wireless clients) and now you will be able to put any device into its own VLANs by using a radius certificate and I mean not only for the wireless clients.

Pros

Building stacks (ring)
often MIBS for Nagios or PRTG
each devices will be put in the right VLAN (certificates)
MacSec is able to turn on (no sniffers)
Switch Ports with multiple certificate authentication are
not any more allowing to finger at the VLAN1 (default)
no y-cable usage and/or foreign devices in your network
much can be realized over pfSense itself or a small RaspBerry PI 2/3/4

Cons

not so cheap as the other ways
more management and admin power or work
more complicated and also a much more hit on the
entire LAN network cable (MacSec and Radius with certificates and encryption will be using much horse power)

Managed switches (greater ones)
You can be often her and in the section before getting hands on layer3 license and/or they will be also in all
other segments being sold as real layer3 switches such
the Cisco SG300 or SG350 series. You will be getting all as above mentioned but on top layer3 that let route the entire VLANs it self and free the pfSense firewall from that
workload. Often stacking modules will be also available
for such managed switches. It is often also offered some
different routing methods like RIP-2, IGMP, VRRP, OSPFv2, PIM-SM, static IP Routing, PIM-DM and others so it is more interesting what your pfSense firewall is set up
and/or using to the WAN side and the LAN side too.

Pros

Stackable, Layer3 Licences available
more routing protocols available
faster and more powerful
better connect and support to the WAN routing device
(pending on the used routing protocols there)

Cons

high cost
high electric power using
much more complicate to manage
not for all circumstances and users

spaghetti_trash

Hi everyone, I recently bought the v6.0 version of this switch (TL-SG108E) and updated its firmware to the latest version (TL-SG108E(UN)_V6_1.0.0 Build 20230218) released last February.

Can you confirm the vulnerability is still there?

I personally tried to relegate the management interface to a single port but I was nonetheless able to access it from every other port.

noplan

@spaghetti_trash

have u tested it ?

spaghetti_trash

@noplan I assigned vlan 90 to port 5 and made it not a member of vlan 1. Devices plugged into port 5 got the correct address via DHCP but could still access the management interface in vlan 1. Additionally, I could also manually force these devices to get an IP from vlan 1.

I asked to make sure I did not miss anything during my tests, especially because TP-link talks about "security" enhancements in the release notes of their latest firmware. So I was hoping they had actually fixed this problem.

noplan

@spaghetti_trash

hi,

last time i checked it was possible to remove the port from any membership or vlan 1

gonna look up where this switch (sg-108e) is doin his job right now ... and check back
keep you posted

br np

NicklyJohn

@noplan Any luck?

Are you removing the ports using the web gui or @tpham3783 's guide for hexadecimal hacking a config backup?

EDIT: I was able to set a port to 2 to a different VLAN and it stopped showing for VLAN1:

Apocalypse

@NicklyJohn You are confusing port based VLAN and 802.1q based VLAN.
However, since v3.0 it is possible to remove any port from VLAN1 in 802.1q VLAN Tag.

devport

Hey
I have TL-SG105E v5.0. My firmware doesn't work.
Can someone share a flash dump for the EN25H16 dice? I am from Poland and my English is not good.

Thank

johnpoz

@devport said in TP-Link Easy Smart Switch security question:

TL-SG105E v5.0.

Your saying they are back to their nonsense of not allowing removal of vlan1?

devport

@johnpoz sorry model is TL-SG108E v5.0. My faul. No this problem. My problem is not run switch. Boot start -> processing -> supply diode 2x flash -> and reset boot sequence. No connect switch all lan port. So i looking for software from flash but from site TP-Link is not image SPI flash.

Apocalypse

@devport You may can use .bin image from TP-Link website to build a .bin with entire 2MB memory flash size. But first you need read your flash to preserve bootloader (if not yet damaged) and copy & paste all content from TP-Link .bin upgrade image, starting paste in proper offset on the dump file. If your bootloader if damaged, you need a good dump from working v5 and change/write your Switch's MAC address in correct offset before write the dump. You can send me your dump and when have time i will inspect it.

johnpoz

Just curious why would you spend more than say 10 minutes on say trying to flash the firmware.. Its a $27 switch on amazon, you could have a new one tmrw ;) I don't see spending more than a few minutes on trying to get something like that to work..

A 200$ ok, might be worth spending some time on.. But a $30 switch.. not worth more than a few minutes of time if you ask me.

devport

@Apocalypse I don't know if the bootloader is broken, so I asked if anyone has a flash memory dump file. I don't know how to check it, the beginning of the Hex code is different than in the file from the TP-Link website.
@johnpoz if rescue the switch i so happy. it interests me.

devport

@Apocalypse My dump File:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/siafjrigd2d19cy/TL-SG108E_V5_Flash.bin/file

MAC address at offset 0x1FC000 (filled in with "AA BB CC DD EE AB"). I Change it.

Apocalypse

@devport I will examine it when I can. It is normal for the Dump not to begin as the firmware file. From 0x0 to at least 0x1000 is the bootloader. In the update file there is no bootloader.

Apocalypse

@devport The dump file looks correct. I think this is a hardware problem.

devport

@Apocalypse Thanks

smirkis

@warheat1990 said in TP-Link Easy Smart Switch security question:

Hello,

I'm planning to buy TP-Link Easy Smart lineup (TL-SG1016DE and TL-SG108E) so I can separate my LAN. Here's the current setup in my house.

modem -> pfSense -> unmanaged switch (will replace this with easy smart switch) -> patch panel -> keystone jack / wall plate across several rooms in the house -> devices

So what I'm trying to achieve is devices from other room won't be able to access the devices in my room. For example my sister laptop won't be able to access my NAS or PC.

However I look around the internet and found this post on reddit about the easy smart switch lineup.

I have one of these and it's a huge hassle to get it working just so you can change the default password at minimum.
And more importantly the VLAN stuff, while obstensibly working, doesn't do network separation; an attacker on VLAN1 can spoof the ARP table for other VLANs. So it works but not for security, so it's useless.

source: https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/4tym2z/best_cheap_gigabit_switch_4060/d7pvtxc/

Is this true?

I read the whole 14 pages I found in this forum : https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=76022.0 but I can't seem to find anyone mention it.

Is there better alternative beside these easy smart lineup with similar price range?

Any help will be appreciated and apologize for bad english

for basic home use i wouldn't worry about what that statement is saying. this comment is referring to someone plugging a physical hardware device into the switch, and hopping between vlans that pass through it. your layout appears to put your new managed switch someone not out in the open?

as for preventing devices from communicating between the vlans/subnets, you'll have to put in a firewall rule to prevent that. the switch has nothing to do with that in this case. by default pfsense lets each interface/vlan go anywhere so it can access the internet. you will need to setup a rule so the subnet you put your sisters laptop on can "go anywhere except the network the NAS is on". i think you can also setup a rule on the nas network to not allow access from the interface your sisters laptop is on. i haven't played around enough yet to tell you which is better or the correct way to go about it sorry.

these switches are cheap but they do their jobs. i have the 8port managed and 5 port managed from tplink. super easy interface once you figure out how the vlans work and how to assign ports properly. just use vlan1 as your lan, tied to your pfsense lan. tag all vlans on port 1 so the switch receives all vlans. then just untag each port you want to be that vlan. if you use multiple switches, keep them all on vlan1 untagged ports connecting them with static ip's tied to your LAN interface on pfsense (if this is where you keep all your network based item ip range). if you give a 2nd switch a static ip of say, 172.30.9.1, but plug it into a port untagged for say, 10.10.1.1, internet will still pass through but you'll lose access to the web interface.

these are my settings on the first switch out of pfsense

then 2nd switch going out of port8 as vlan1 untagged, but tagged with all vlans going in port1 of switch 2 as vlan1 untagged again, but carrying all tags. then you can assign switch2 to any of your vlans.

johnpoz

said in TP-Link Easy Smart Switch security question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/4tym2z/best_cheap_gigabit_switch_4060/d7pvtxc/

I think what that is talking about is their old and before when they wouldn't let you remove vlan 1 from ports.. Yeah that is moronic - and they did finally fix it. And makes a vlan capable switch pretty freaking useless..

While not a fan of the tplink switches, as long as the model you have allows for removing vlan 1 when you want to put it on a different vlan you should be fine..

smirkis

@johnpoz darn. i sorted from newest to oldest and somehow replied to the first post from 2016! how bout that effort for a first post hah. whelp the info still applies and can hopefully be helpful to others using these cheap things