You Need to Update Your Netgear Router Immediately

Netgear is strongly recommending that you update your router. The company resolved two critical security issues affecting several Wi-Fi 6 access points and Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers. It issued security updates for both vulnerabilities earlier this week. 

Several Nighthawk Wi-Fi routers were impacted by an unauthenticated remote code execution security vulnerability. In this kind of security issue, an attacker could execute malicious code on your router without permission. The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a formula that calculates how serious security issues are in computing systems. Netgear scored the unauthenticated RCE issue at 9.8 out of 10, or “critical.” 

These are the three routers that Netgear identified as having the vulnerability:

The other devices that were affected are wireless access points, which are typically used in office or large buildings where a single router is insufficient. This one was an authentication bypass security vulnerability, which would allow hackers to bypass the authentication process entirely for affected devices. 

These are the wireless access points that have the vulnerability:

How to secure your device

If you use one of the devices listed above, you should download the latest firmware as soon as possible. You can find detailed instructions on Netgear’s support pages for the impacted routers and wireless access points. 

Here are the step-by-step instructions from Netgear:

1. Go to the main Netgear Support page. 
2. Type your model number in the search box, then select your model from the drop-down menu. The model number is the string of numbers and letters at the end of your router’s name, i.e. “XR1000.” 
3. Click Downloads in the top section. 
4. Under Current Versions, select the most recent download with the title beginning with Firmware Version.
5. Click Download.
6. Follow the instructions in your product’s user manual, firmware release notes or product support page to install the new firmware.

These steps might lead you on a circuitous route directing you back to your user manual to figure out how to update your firmware. To find your user manual, go to https://www.netgear.com/support/, enter your model number in the search box and click the Documentation button on the product page.

Netgear did not immediately respond to CNET’s request for comment.