CVE-2020-11792 in R8900
Summary
by MITRE
NETGEAR R8900, R9000, RAX120, and XR700 devices before 2020-01-20 are affected by Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate private key disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2020-11792 represents a critical security flaw in several NETGEAR router models including the R8900, R9000, RAX120, and XR700 devices. This issue specifically affects the Transport Layer Security implementation within these networking appliances, creating a significant risk to network security infrastructure. The vulnerability allows for the disclosure of private key material that should remain confidential and protected within the device's cryptographic operations. This exposure fundamentally undermines the security assurances that TLS protocols are designed to provide, potentially enabling attackers to impersonate legitimate network devices or decrypt sensitive communications passing through affected routers.
The technical nature of this flaw stems from improper handling of TLS certificate private keys within the affected NETGEAR devices. When these routers generate or utilize TLS certificates for secure communications, the private key material becomes accessible to unauthorized parties through the vulnerability. This represents a direct violation of cryptographic best practices and security protocols that require private keys to remain isolated and protected from unauthorized access. The vulnerability manifests during normal operational procedures when the device processes TLS certificate requests or maintains its secure communication channels, making it particularly dangerous as it operates within legitimate network traffic patterns.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-11792 extends far beyond simple network connectivity issues, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of secure communications within affected networks. Network administrators who rely on these devices for secure routing and communication can no longer trust that their TLS-protected connections remain secure. Attackers who exploit this vulnerability can potentially intercept and decrypt sensitive data, perform man-in-the-middle attacks, or impersonate the affected devices to gain unauthorized access to network resources. The risk is particularly severe for enterprise environments where these devices may serve as gateways for critical business communications and where the compromise of TLS security can lead to widespread data breaches and unauthorized network access. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-310, which addresses cryptographic issues related to key management and private key exposure, and represents a clear violation of security controls outlined in the NIST SP 800-57 standard for cryptographic key management.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from NETGEAR to address the underlying TLS implementation flaws. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected devices to the latest firmware versions released by NETGEAR, which include patches specifically designed to prevent private key disclosure. Network administrators must also implement additional monitoring measures to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider temporarily disabling TLS features until proper updates are deployed. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1566, which covers credential harvesting through various attack vectors, and T1046, which addresses network service scanning that could be used to identify vulnerable devices. Security teams should conduct comprehensive network assessments to identify all affected devices and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should review their certificate management practices and consider regenerating certificates for any services that may have been exposed to this vulnerability during the period when the flaw existed.