Microsoft critical bugs leave NETGEAR routers vulnerable to takeover

Significant security flaws have been discovered in NETGEAR DGN2200v1 series routers, according to cybersecurity experts, who claim these vulnerabilities may be exploited to breach a network’s security and obtain unrestricted access.

Microsoft Bugs 1024x411

Firmware versions prior to v1.0.0.60 are vulnerable to three HTTPd authentication security weaknesses, with CVSS scores ranging from 7.1 to 9.4. These issues have been addressed in December 2020, as part of a coordinated vulnerability disclosure process, related to NETGEAR’s response to the reported security risks.

The cases of ransomware and firmware attacks conducted through VPN devices and other internet-connected systems are rapidly growing which indicates a new trend where attacks are initiated outside the operating system.

With assaults of this kind becoming more frequent, security professionals are warning that users must take additional precaution of securing even the single-purpose software, such routers.

As per the details that are available, taking over NETGEAR routers can happen when strcmp is used to determine if the username and password match the stored credentials. An attacker may exploit the former by timing the failure rate by comparing each character until a mismatch occurs or NUL terminator is found.

In short, the detected vulnerabilities can open the door to gaining access to router administration pages, and in this way, providing hackers with full control over the router. Additionally, attackers may utilize a cryptographic side-channel attack to get their hands on the username and the password kept in the router’s memory and mess with the backup/restore configurations.

And this is not everything. Security researchers have found that, by exploiting the authentication bypass, malicious actors may encrypt credentials using a constant key and then use that key to retrieve the password and the username in plain text.

To protect yourself from any possible attacks of this kind, NETGEAR recommends that DGN2200v1 users upgrade their firmware to the latest version as soon as possible.


About the author

Lidia Howler

Lidia is a web content creator with years of experience in the cyber-security sector. She helps readers with articles on malware removal and online security. Her strive for simplicity and well-researched information provides users with easy-to-follow It-related tips and step-by-step tutorials.

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