CVE-2026-75754 in Control Center Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE • 09/04/2026
Missing Authentication for Critical Function, Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), and Use of Hard-coded Credentials in ASUS Control Center allow an unauthorized user to obtain the encryption key via an HTTP request, causing a local service to enable SSH on port 2222. The attacker can then log in with the hardcode credentials to obtain a root shell, enabling direct reading, writing, and deletion of data on ASUS Control Center, as well as remote control of all servers, PCs, and workstations within the company. Refer to the 'Security Update for ASUS Control Center' section on the ASUS Security Advisory for more information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2026
The vulnerability in ASUS Control Center represents a critical convergence of multiple severe security flaws that collectively allow an attacker to achieve full remote code execution with root privileges on managed endpoints. The attack chain begins with Server-Side Request Forgery, which enables an unauthorized actor to manipulate the application into making HTTP requests to internal services or external resources under specific conditions. This SSRF flaw is compounded by a Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability, meaning that certain administrative or sensitive operations within the control center do not require proper credential verification before execution. Together, these flaws allow an attacker to interact with backend components without authorization, bypassing standard access controls designed to protect system integrity and data confidentiality.
A pivotal component of this exploit is the use of hard-coded credentials embedded directly into the application binary or configuration files. These static passwords are not unique per installation nor rotated regularly, providing a universal backdoor that any attacker can utilize once they gain initial foothold through the SSRF and authentication bypass mechanisms. By leveraging these flaws in sequence, an adversary can extract sensitive encryption keys via crafted HTTP requests. The compromise of these cryptographic materials facilitates further exploitation by allowing the local service to enable SSH access on port 2222. This specific port is often less monitored than standard SSH ports like 22, potentially providing a stealthier vector for persistent access within corporate networks that may have firewalls configured to restrict only common management ports.
Once SSH is enabled and accessible via the hard-coded credentials, the attacker obtains a root shell on the affected device. This level of privilege grants unrestricted control over the operating system, enabling direct reading, writing, and deletion of arbitrary files stored on the ASUS Control Center endpoint. The operational impact extends far beyond individual machine compromise; since ASUS Control Center is designed for centralized management of corporate assets, gaining root access to one node can serve as a pivot point for lateral movement across the network. An attacker with this level of control can remotely command all servers, PCs, and workstations managed by the instance, leading to potential data exfiltration, ransomware deployment, or complete disruption of business operations.
From a classification perspective, these vulnerabilities align closely with CWE-287 for Improper Authentication, CWE-918 for Server-Side Request Forgery, and CWE-798 for Use of Hard-coded Credentials. In terms of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this attack path illustrates techniques such as T1059 Command Line Interface execution via SSH, T1021 Remote Services: SSH, and potentially T1046 Network Service Discovery if used to map internal assets before exploitation. The ability to disable security controls or modify system configurations also relates to Defense Evasion tactics like T1562 Impair Defenses.
Mitigation requires immediate action as outlined in the ASUS Security Advisory for Control Center. Organizations should apply the latest software updates provided by ASUS, which are designed to patch these specific authentication and credential management flaws. Administrators must ensure that all managed endpoints have received this security update to prevent exploitation of the SSRF and hard-coded credential vectors. Additionally, network segmentation strategies should be reviewed to limit exposure of internal services susceptible to SSRF attacks, and monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual SSH activity on non-standard ports such as 2222, particularly if it originates from unexpected sources or occurs outside of maintenance windows. Regular auditing of installed software versions against vendor advisories is essential to maintain a secure posture in environments relying on centralized management tools like ASUS Control Center.