Get Your Netgear Router Patched Now To Avoid Serious Security Vulnerabilities

Internet security researchers have outlined a flaw found on thousands of Netgear routers, making them exploitable by hackers. The flaw was found in routers that contained specific parental controls that users may not have even been using or aware of. Patches have been issued, but what caused all of this?

Netgear Router Models Affected By Security Flaws

Netgear has confirmed the findings of the security researchers and identified the following models as being affected:

Most of the affected models are in the “Nighthawk” line of routers. Keep in mind, it’s important to flip your router over and take a look at the model name on the sticker underneath because many of these routers are marketed with different names.

How To Fix Netgear Router Firmware Security Holes

Netgear has gone ahead and issued security patches to their stock firmware, in an attempt to fix the issues. Unfortunately, their firmware may contain more flaws and security holes that haven’t been discovered yet. This is often the case with proprietary software, as it has not been independently vetted for possible problems. So while patching your router up with the fix that Netgear has offered can help, there are other ways you can secure your network!

Use Open Source DD-WRT Firmware to End Security Issues

As mentioned, many security vulnerabilities are associated with stock router firmware. By upgrading to open-source DD-WRT firmware, your network will be supercharged with upgraded security, greater network control, and VPN integration. And with open-source firmware, you won’t have to worry about the next exploit affecting Netgear users with the stock firmware. Our Flash My Router service can upgrade your current router with this great firmware! Trust the professionals. We Flash Routers.

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What Caused These Exploits on Netgear Routers?

Parental-control software, named Circle, is at the heart of the current security headaches. The software first gained popularity with its Circle with Disney product, a parental monitoring system that came with a curated collection of Disney content. While Circle discontinued manufacturing the initial device, other companies, including Netgear, began integrating newer versions of the Circle feature onto their products.

Following an announcement in 2017, Netgear began pre-installing the software on its routers, including those inside people’s homes. Users interested in could activate the feature via a monthly subscription fee. However, even if users did not enable the feature still ran in the background.

GRIMM security expert Adam Nichols said, “The Circle update daemon that contains the vulnerability is enabled to run by default, even if you haven’t configured your router to use the parental control features.”

Furthermore, it appears that Netgear offers firmware updates over plain HTTP and not the secure HTTPS protocol. Because of this, malicious actors could hijack the Circle update process and cause a Man-in-the-middle attack via remote code execution. This could cause lasting damage to your routers, your home network, as well as anyone using your network. In short, many users were left vulnerable thanks to a feature they neither used nor were aware of.

More Netgear Stock Firmware Flaws Discovered In November 2021

On top of the issues above, another flaw has been found, affecting the models listed above, plus others. All in all, this flaw affects 80 routers, including Wi-Fi 6 routers, Wi-Fi extenders, and other devices. While Netgear issued firmware patches, many routers are out of support and cannot be fixed. According to recent estimates, somewhere around 40 models will remain unpatched.

This time, a flaw allows users on a local network to overflow the character limit in the UPnP protocol and give the attacker full control of the network. UPnP, or Universal Plug and Play, allows new devices to connect more easily to your network.

Basically, an attacker can overload the safety safeguards on your device and wreak havoc on your network and any device connected to it. While the attack does require internal access to the network, even access to a poorly-secured IoT device could be enough for network control.

Protect Yourself From Router Vulnerabilities With a FlashRouter

If you’re looking to protect your network from hackers and unwanted intrusions, you should seriously consider getting a FlashRouter. Our routers come pre-flashed with open-source DD-WRT software, unlocking hidden features and amping up security. We also offer great support plans where you actually speak to a real live human, not some automated system!

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Have any questions about Netgear firmware patching, router security, or networks in general? Feel free to contact us!