CVE-2026-11731 in RAX30
Summary
by MITRE • 10/13/2026
An authentication bypass vulnerability in the listed NETGEAR RAX series models allows an unauthenticated attacker with adjacent access to the affected device’s management service to access certain device information or modify administrative settings. This vulnerability may impact the confidentiality and integrity of management data and the availability of device-management functions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2026
The identified security flaw represents a critical authentication bypass mechanism within the NETGEAR RAX series network routers, specifically targeting the local management interface accessible to devices on the same physical or wireless network segment. This vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker who possesses adjacent access to exploit weaknesses in the device's session handling and request validation logic. By manipulating specific HTTP requests or exploiting state machine inconsistencies during the authentication process, the adversary can circumvent mandatory credential verification steps. This capability effectively grants unauthorized entities administrative-level privileges without requiring valid user credentials, fundamentally undermining the security boundary intended by the manufacturer for local network management interfaces.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-287, which describes Improper Authentication, and potentially CWE-306, Missing Authentication for Critical Function, depending on the specific implementation details of how session tokens or cookies are validated. The attacker leverages these weaknesses to access sensitive device information such as network configuration tables, connected client lists, and DNS settings, while also gaining the ability to modify administrative parameters including Wi-Fi passwords, firewall rules, and port forwarding configurations. This dual impact compromises both the confidentiality and integrity of management data, allowing for potential pivoting attacks into internal networks or persistent backdoor installation through modified router firmware settings.
The operational impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it directly affects the availability of device-management functions by enabling malicious actors to disrupt network operations intentionally. An attacker could alter DNS configurations to redirect traffic to phishing sites, disable security features like SPI firewalls, or change administrative passwords to lock out legitimate users. This scenario maps closely to MITRE ATT&CK techniques such as T1078 Valid Accounts and T1546 Event Triggered Execution if the vulnerability allows for persistent modification of startup scripts or cron jobs. The ability to modify these settings remotely from within the local network significantly lowers the barrier for entry, requiring no external exposure or complex exploitation chains beyond basic network adjacency.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching through official firmware updates provided by NETGEAR that address this specific authentication logic flaw. In environments where updating is not immediately feasible, administrators should restrict access to the management interface by disabling remote administration features and ensuring that administrative ports are only accessible from trusted subnets via VLAN segmentation or firewall rules. Additionally, implementing strong, unique passwords for all admin accounts remains a critical baseline defense, although it does not fully mitigate this specific bypass vulnerability. Regular monitoring of router logs for unusual configuration changes can also aid in early detection of exploitation attempts before significant damage occurs to the network infrastructure.